Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
by victor-cardigan
Summary: Adapted from the game of the same name. Chronicles the quests of Cornell, Reinhardt, Carrie, and Henry. R&R if possible.
1. Prologue

            Pure darkness used to be a hard thing for him to describe. The closest thing that he ever experienced to being pure darkness was once when he was a child. He was playing a game with his two brothers where they had to find where he was hiding in the house. He always used to hide in a closet in his parent's bedroom. Inside it wasn't totally dark. The door didn't quite touch the floor so light always came in through the bottom. But that time his parent's room was locked and he couldn't hide in there.   So then he decided to hide in the other closet, the one in the kitchen. He had never been inside it but when he closed the door he saw that this door touched the floor and no light came in. To make matters worse, his brothers found him and blocked the door so he couldn't get out.   Trapped inside that closet was the first time he had ever experienced pure darkness. Now Gilles De Rais walked through the unlit halls of the castle, the only light coming from his torch. He reached the castle center and walked up the stairs leading to the library and from there to a secret passage that would take him to the steps of the castle keep where the ritual was about to take place. Up the stairs he went the doors to the flaming keep opened expectantly. Inside he met with his fellow children of darkness, the witch Actrise and a mass of undead warriors all awaiting the beginning of the ritual. Heading the ceremony was none other than Death itself. The castle keep was circular with four main pillars where there would be corners if the room were square shaped. The centerpiece of the room was the raised platform hugging the wall opposite the doors. On the platform lay a large coffin, and on the coffin lay the body of a young woman that he had procured from the local village. She was quite a beautiful woman, a very vibrant brunette. She put up quite a chase, but eventually De Rais ran her down. She wasn't dead…yet. Death muttered a few lines from the Necronomican and raised his reaper to perform the sacrificial rite. The blade severed the head from the body seamlessly. The blood poured from the corpse and enveloped the coffin. The warriors' stared silently and expectantly. Then they all watched as the corpse faded into nothingness and the coffin began to stir. The lid flew off its hinges and onto the floor. They all stared as a blue light shined throughout the keep. A smile formed on Death's so called face as a giant figure rose from the coffin. The blue light dissipated and they awaited commands from their master. The giant figure hovered above the coffin. He was dressed in a long blue gray coat under a blue gray cape with a red in lining. A sash hung from his shoulder to his waist and he wore large and heavy boots. His skin was bluish and wrinkled and his whole face seemed ancient and scarred. But a singular smile swept his face. He then raised his fist and a sudden flame burst from it. Gilles De Rais smiled at the sight of his master alive once more. This was the order that his servants had been awaiting. The signal had been given. It was time.  


	2. Fire Under a Blue Crescent Moon

            The smell of a human was unmistakable. The smell of a whole tribe of them was a delight to Cornell's senses. He looked up unto the sky and saw a blue crescent moon. He looked into the eyes of his fellow pack. Ortega smiled to him. Cornell knew what this meant. This was his moon, it was preordained that he should lead the pack into this nest of humans. Cornell stared at all the humans. Even in the dark he could see that there were many of them. Tonight would be a good feast for the man-wolf. They were a wagon train heading north by the looks of it. Camped out for the night they were four wagons in total, surrounding a large fire. Six of the humans were asleep; the remaining four were keeping watch. Cornell would take out the watchmen while the others feasted on the sleeping ones. Cornell positioned himself in the bushes across from the four watchers. The others were set up wherever they wanted to leap from. It didn't matter from where. When Cornell leapt into the air staring into the eyes of one the watchmen he knew what he was thinking,… "we're dead". The talons on Cornell's feet dug into the human's chest. His claws slashed two others before they even drew their swords or reached for their rifles. The fourth had his sword drawn already. Cornell knew that this one would put up a fight. Not a good one, but a fight nonetheless. Cornell looked at how the pack was progressing and saw Ortega gnawing on some human's leg. Cornell howled at his moon. He had led the pack well. The remaining human not impressed by Cornell's howling and lunged at him. The sword slashed Cornell across his left arm. Cornell howled in pain. Ortega saw what happened and left his dinner to chase the human. The human was heading for the back of one of the wagons. Just as the human was about jump into it Ortega thrust his arm into the back of the human's chest. Ortega turned to Cornell and yelled "Here Cornell, eat of him and redeem yourself!" But Cornell was looking into the now open wagon. Inside he could see a pair of eyes. Two young eyes, and from them fell tears. Cornell then looked into the flames. They suddenly seemed very real. 

"A…!"

Cornell awoke from this dream with his heart pounding faster than he had ever run as a man-wolf. The dream had been more than a simple dream. It had been a reminder of days long past him now. It has been many years since the man-beasts sealed away their powers to live harmoniously with humans. It was something he was responsible for. He had told the man-beast elders that the time had come for the man-beast to rejoin their human cousin's. They too had tired of this constant battle between them and the humans. It continued only because young man-beasts like Ortega and himself had insisted it was who they were. But after that night he could no longer continue. For years if it wasn't them hunting the humans it was the humans hunting them. They knew that the ancients had given the man-beasts power from the underworld as a cruel joke against the humans. But one harsh winter all the man-wolves came to the town of Veros. It was a harsh winter, the worst the town had ever seen. People were freezing to death because no man could stand the cold long enough to bring wood for fire. "It was then that we came to the humans and made a deal with them. Their bodies could withstand the cold so they would supply them with firewood for the entire winter in exchange for freedom to live among them at the end of the winter season." Their leader told them of how they were tired of the eternal hunting and now just wanted to live their lives like their human cousins do. It took the whole winter but they learned to trust Cornell and his people. Finally at winter's end they gathered together in the presence of the village leaders and among some of the most respected man-wolf hunters in the land and formed the great seal. It was a seal that would forever lock away the powers the ancients had cursed them with. On that day they all regained their human appearance and with it their humanity. 

He and his sister, Ada, lived peacefully in a village outside the Veros woods. Cornell had been gone a year under going ascetic training to harness the underworld power of the man-beast but for good. And after a year he was returning home in success. But now his acute sense of smell told him that there was a fire nearby, but not a small campfire. He jumped from his bed of leaves and branches and ran as fast as he could in his human form. He followed the scent of flames closely, but soon he realized that the source of the flames and his destination were one and the same. A ran for a few hours and finally his home village came into view. Only a year ago he had looked back walking away from a village bustling with life. Now he saw his home engulfed in a lotus flower of flames. He saw how even the very earth that the village sat on was on fire. And all throughout the village silhouetted figures ran amok in the conflagration. Cornell didn't even stop to think what sort of creatures could be walking around in such a blaze and survive he just ran into it until he came face to face with his village's attackers. He stared in shock as he saw who were attacking the village. They were skeletons. He couldn't call them living skeletons because no living intelligence lived inside those bones. He saw one of the skeletons walk off the roof of a house and break to pieces. These things weren't alive, they are just attacking anything that isn't one of them; and he wasn't one of them. Only a few seemed to take notice of him but soon they began to walk in his direction. A group of five was blocking the way to his home. 

"Let's see what good a year in ascetic training did me", thought Cornell. One skill he had picked up was the ability to summon a small amount of the man-beasts magic to create a blast of energy from his fists. He thought about using it but then decided it would be more gratifying to knock them back to whatever hell they came from with his bare hands. He ran up to the first two and ripped their skull heads clean away from their necks. The other three he knocked to pieces by kicking them in the ribcage. He looked around at the others and saw them back away and then he saw them, all of the skull warriors, slowly sink into the ground. 

"Maybe they aren't that foolish."

Cornell looked at what was left of his home. He took a sniff of air and could already tell that she had been taken away. But the real proof lay at his feet. A blue pendant and chain lay where the doorstep was. Cornell picked it up and looked at it in his palm. It was the pendant he had given Ada. It was a powerful magic that would always protect her from evil. And while she wore it all wolves would befriend her and guide her to safety. Until now it had protected her. The fact that it didn't means that there are extremely strong evil spirits at work. Cornell ran out of the burning village and kneeled on the ground for a moment. He could still pick up the scent of his sister's blood. 

"The trail is warm. I swear Ada that I will find you and not the powers of the underworld or the devil himself will stop me from bringing you back safe! I will break the seal and revert to a bloodthirsty man-wolf if I have too but I will save you!"

The first beams of sunlight were breaking through the clouds. It would be day soon. Cornell had no idea what had happened to all the villagers or why they only took Ada, but whoever they are, will soon learn it was a mistake. He wouldn't sleep or rest until he has rescued Ada. He looked at the direction of Ada's scent and without thought or consideration of what might be ahead, he ran and ran as fast as he could.  Were anyone alive in the village, they would have woken up to the howl and an angry wolf running through the forest…and all hell was riding on his shoulders.


	3. Terror on the Foggy Lake

In his wolf form, the trip through the Dora woods had been a quick one. His destination was a flight of stairs leading into a long forgotten town. It was foggy and hard to see but his heightened senses helped him to stay on Ada's scent. The stairs were worn away, what was left was covered in moss. All his senses told him that this trail had not been used for many years. Yet this was where Ada's scent led. 

            "What evil spirits are working to keep you from me Ada, that they leave no trail of themselves? No matter, I'll find you," he said. 

            He continued down the steps and found himself in a place known only as the town of the Other-world. The town had another name once, many years ago, but it is long forgotten. The people who lived here are long since dead. Their descendents, if they had any, have probably migrated elsewhere. If they were smart that is. Cornell walked straight through the main street of the town. Around him were all half-destroyed buildings and homes. No doors and no signs of life that he could see. Something suddenly caught Cornell's attention. There was a small campfire up ahead. He could see that there was a lone figure sitting close to it. He could not see anyone else, nor could he smell the presence of any living creature. He reverted to back his human shape. Surely anyone who would brave living in this ghost town would not be frightened to see a man-wolf, but he thought that in light of the fact that this person might be the only one here, it would not be prudent to scare him off. He might need a guide after all, and this did not seem to be any sort of trap.

He walked closer to the campfire until he thought he was about hearing distance and announced himself in a firm tone, "Greetings stranger."  There came no reply. Could he be deaf he thought?

            "My name is Cornell. I am a stranger to these parts…"

            Suddenly the figure spoke in an old rackety voice, "All are strange in these parts, except he who rules these dark corners of the country." Cornell walked closer to the campfire and it's light illuminated his features for the cloaked figure to see. 

            "Who are you, sir?"

            "Is it a name you seek?"

            "No, but I do like to know who I am talking to."

            "I am but the humble ferryman to these haunted parts. I have for many years served adventurers such as yourself to venture from place to place so that they may go about on their mission."

            "I'm no adventurer, I am only in search of those who have taken my sister. Her scent takes her through here. Have you seen anything these past few days?"

            "My young friend I have seen many things. But I have not seen what you are looking for. Not surprising to say the least. Around these parts it is quite easy for one who spends his time among the spirits to miss the passing of another."

            "Spirits…you?"

            "I recall a similar adventurer, Simon I believe was his name. Have you noticed the poles with the Merman statue from which hang small horns placed at all the crossings of every lake? No? Well those are my horns. On nights such as this, when the fog is thick and the strong-hearted need to cross, that is when I answer the call of the ferry horn. It is lucky for you that no one else has called me tonight. But I suspect that is not good news."

            "Why ferryman?"

            "When one has lived in these parts as long as I have. One develops a sixth sense very much a tuned with the spirits that stalk the night. I tell you young one, something is happening in _their world, something terrible."_

            "Something to do with Ada?!"

            It was then that the ferryman allowed the light to shine upon his features. The skin of his face was tight over his skull. The skin itself was gray like dust; and his eyes were white as snow with small gray pupils that glimmered in the fire's light. 

            "I do not know. But I can tell you where her trail will lead you."

            "Where?"

            "To the house of the dark lord. I must warn you, it would be best if you turned back. I can feel that his children are gathering, and soon something evil will arise. I sense that your going will not bring about anything good."

"I'm not abandoning Ada to any sort of devils!"

The ferryman rose and towered over Cornell by two feet. He looked into Cornell's eyes and asked him "be very sure. There will be no turning back on the road you are taking." Cornell nodded and asked the ferryman to show him the way. He then motioned to follow him. "Whatever happens now I leave for fate to decide." They began walking further down the main street when Cornell began to smell the night sea air. 

"There is water nearby," Cornell asked.

"Yes. The castle sits on a small island on the foggy lake. There use to be a long wide bridge, the West Bridge it was, and it spanned from the mainland to the island. But many years ago it crumbled when a holy warrior crossed it to go fight him." 

"Him? Castle?"

"I cannot take you all the way but, there is a ship out there", the ferryman said pointing out to water, which was visible now. They reached a small wooden dock. Together they walked to the end of it where there was a ladder along the side, which led into a small ferry. The ferryman went down the ladder first. As he went down he said, "You will take the ship the rest of the way to what's left of the bridge. From there you are on your own." When Cornell was aboard he pushed the ferry along with his punting stick and they were on their way. Cornell looked back and slowly watched as the dock disappeared and was replaced by fog. He looked ahead and all he could see was fog. 

"Can you really see in this fog?"

"No actually." Cornell shot him a worried glance. The ferryman smiled. "I apologize. Ferryman humor is rarely appreciated." Cornell smiled sarcastically and once again turned his head towards the fog in front of them. 

"No small wonder," he muttered.

It was not long before the shape of something large was just becoming visible to Cornell's eyes. "There she is my young friend. There is your ride to the dark castle." Cornell took a whiff of the air. The ferryman was not misleading him. Ada's scent was not far off. Whatever spirits carried her off, obviously took a more direct route to this "dark" castle. Finally the boat could be seen quite clear through the fog.

"Ferryman, where did this ship come from?"

"Not many years ago a wealthy man came to these parts claiming that his family had it's roots in this part of the country. He was a kind-hearted man but he was obsessed with his heritage. With him he brought along his wife and child. This was the ship he used to travel to the castle. Apparently he owned the land that the castle sat on and meant to claim it as his own."

The ferry gently bumped into the hull of the ship. The chain going down the side of the hull meant the anchor was down. Cornell looked at the chain and judged that he would have to climb it in order to get aboard. But first he waited for his friend the ferryman to finish his tale. 

  "Talked of building, a villa I think, so he and his family could lead a quiet life. The elder villagers warned him that island was not known for its security. I warned him myself. But not even a gander at that ghost village back there dissuaded him from going on."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know. I never venture out beyond this point. All I know is that I found this ship abandoned and a drift. I anchored it here in case it might come in handy someday or maybe the lord of the manor comes looking to claim it. Although I doubt it."

 "Did you think of maybe finding out what happened out there?"

"As I said. I've been around these parts for a very long time and I never go past this point."

            "I wonder if I could ask you to join me? Only as far as the island then you can go back. I'm afraid that sailing was not something I learned in my travels."

            The ferryman smiled again and said, "Lucky for you the rich man could afford such luxuries as owning a ship that could practically sail itself. On board there are several switches to operate the masts. Throw all of them once and you should be on your way. When you get close to the bridge just throw the anchor and you can take it from there."

            Cornell looked into his eyes for a moment and then began to climb the anchor chain. He knew it from the ferryman eyes that he would not change his mind. "Good luck my man-wolf friend!" he heard the ferryman yell. Cornell stopped for a moment and looked down to see the ferryman starting to move away. "I never told you what I was!" Cornell yelled. "No. You didn't!" he heard the ferryman yell in response before he disappeared into the fog. When Cornell reached the deck of the ship he looked toward the general direction the ferryman must be taking. "What a truly mysterious character. He obviously knew more than he let on," said Cornell in his mind. Nonetheless he had this ship to get sailing and he couldn't spend the rest of his time thinking about it too much. He turned to take a look at the deck. It was pretty much empty save for the giant wheel in the center that is used to raise the anchor. The deck was level except for the bridge that was elevated slightly. There were two masts and one lookout tower. Various sized crates were littered throughout. Cornell walked up to the anchor wheel. He wondered if in human form he would be able to turn it. 

            "One way to find out," he said aloud. With that he began to turn the wheel with all his strength. Slowly but surely the wheel turned. Cornell could hear the anchor slowly rising out of the water. When he could turn it no more he walked to the side of the hull and saw that the anchor was up. Almost as if on cue, the wind suddenly picked up and he could feel the ship moving. Cornell jumped onto the second level bridge and saw one of the levers he had to throw. It was embedded in the mast pole. It was rough at first but it quickly gave way and Cornell pulled the lever down. Above him the first mast turned clockwise a little and stopped when one of the platforms around it faced the second mast. He jumped onto the platform and jumped his way to the second mast where he pulled the second lever. The mast turned a good 90 degrees as the first one did. Cornell took advantage of the view and looked around to see if there were any other levers to be pulled. Seeing that there weren't any, Cornell made his way back down to the deck to wait until he reached the remains of the West Bridge. 

            Cornell looked around the deck and began to ponder the cause of the mess that was littered around him. He also pondered on his conversation with the ferryman. Now that things had slowed down somewhat, the reality of it all was finally sinking in. His home had been burnt to the ground by undead skeletons and he was now on his way to a supposedly "dark" castle. As a man-wolf he aged much slower than a normal human and therefore has been around for quite a number of years. But in all those years the only "dark" castle that he could be possibly heading to is castle Dracula. He has heard leAnads about the demon castle that appears every one hundred years. In all his years Cornell had never seen any proof that he really existed. Sure there were a few odd happenings about fifty years ago but at the time the man-wolves were hibernating. And if Dracula did exist then the man-wolves would have considered him a human problem. But now it would seem that he is real. But why would Dracula want Ada? And where did all the villagers go? There were no bodies and no trace of them. Cornell sensed that there is more to Ada's kidnapping than he thought at first.  

Day was breaking and the fog was lifting. "Good" thought Cornell, "now I might be able to see the shore." Then Cornell became suddenly aware that there was a strange noise coming from the water. He looked over the side and saw that bubbles were surrounding the ship. From the bubbles suddenly shot out five figures. Cornell jumped backwards. The five figures made a great thumping sound when they hit the deck. With the fog lifted he could see plainly what they were, but he couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

"Lizards?!"

The Lizards were man-sized and armed with axes and shield. They all hissed at him and began to circle and close in on him. "I should warn you," Cornell began, "as a man-wolf, I eat lizards for lunch." Uncomprehending the meaning of his words they continued onward until all five jumped on top of him. If their were a spectator all they would see would be a quick flash of light and then in the same split second, all five of the lizard men flying off to different parts of the deck. Cornell stood alone, breathing heavily in the center of the deck. He was mad and in his wolf form. 

"Anymore?" Cornell howled.  

            In response, five other lizards jumped from the water. The other five who he just knocked off him were stirring and making their way towards him. Once again Cornell found himself surrounded. He looked around the deck and saw that there was a door that most likely led to the lower decks. Five other lizards jumped onto the deck and made like the others and started to move towards him. "That settles it," Cornell said as he fired a burst of energy from his hand and blew the door off its hinges. The lizards stopped for a moment, apparently pondering on this new ability their prey has shown. For a moment Cornell thought they might turn back but the lizards started to move faster in his direction. Cornell ran for the doorway as fast as he could. The room that the doorway led to was a dead end. The lizard men were almost through the doorway when Cornell noticed a hole in the floor with a ladder leading to another room. Cornell jumped in blindly. The lower room was basically the same as the above, a small hallway, except that this one had a door at the end. He made for the door and prayed that it was unlocked. Behind him two lizards jumped into the room with him just as he budged the door open. Cornell rushed in and slammed it shut. He knew the door wouldn't hold them for long and he had to find something to block the door. He looked around and saw that he was in a large cargo hold. More large crates were lying around. He looked up and saw that there was a level above him. He could see another way out on the far side of the hold. What he couldn't see was a way up to the second level.  Then he noticed that the lizards weren't trying to break in. Even odder was the fact that it was suddenly very quiet. A sudden crash came from his left and Cornell saw that the hull and been broken through. Cornell stared in disbelief as a giant arm flexed it claw tipped fingers. The arm didn't move for a moment and then water started to pour through the hole it made. It was then that the giant arm with a clawed fist disappeared through the hole it had made. The lizards then pressed the advantage and broke through the door. Cornell fired a few blasts at them and they stood back a moment. Then more lizards started to come in through the hole in the hull. The water level was reaching Cornell's knees. He looked around and saw that there was a pile of crates stacked one on top of the other. The stacked crates were high enough for him to reach the second level. Cornell jumped onto one of the single crates and from there he leaped onto the top of the stacked crates. The lizards below were getting ready to leap after him when Cornell saw a chandelier hanging in front of him. He fired a bolt of energy and it landed right on top of two of them. Cornell jumped onto the second level and made his way to the exit. Just as he reached the exit the ship rocked sideways. Cornell's head slammed against the wall. He touched his forehead and his hand came back with blood on it. He was bleeding and feeling lightheaded he looked ahead of him towards the exit and suddenly water flooded over him. 

"Ada…"

The rest was darkness.

            Cornell awoke in human form and floating face up in the water. His head was still throbbing from the hit his head took. He threw up some water and looked around to see the ship nose up and half sunk. In the opposite direction he smiled at the sight of what was obviously the remains of the West Bridge. He swam towards it and climbed over onto it. Now standing on it he looked around to see that he was standing on a broken off section of what was once the extremely long West Bridge. There was a short gap between the section he was standing on and the rest of the bridge but it wasn't anything at all to him. Ahead he could see the bridge was a lengthy one. At the end of the bridge he could see what seemed to be a doorway through a now visible wall surrounding the island. Cornell quickly changed into his wolf form and felt a sudden relief from the throbbing in his head. He took in a whiff of air and started to follow the Ada's scent again. 

            Cornell was half way to the doorway when he suddenly jammed his leg in something and fell face down onto the bridge. "Arggh!" he exclaimed as he looked down to see what he had gotten stuck in. Looking down he saw that his foot was in a puddle of greenish slime. He tried to pull his leg out of it but it seemed to take hold of his foot. Suddenly he noticed a shadow covering him. He also heard and felt heavy breathing coming from in back of him. Cornell turned around watched slowly as an enormous dragon rose from the water. It was serpent-like in the fact that it had no wings except for small scaly ones coming out of his arms. By the look of the arms, this was definitely the creature that tore up the ship. 

            It looked down at Cornell and breathed heavily for a few moments and then with its huge arms snatched Cornell right off the bridge. It brought him level with its bright green eyes and stared at his prey, soon it thought, to be its dinner. Cornell fought to break free of its aggressive grip on him but to no avail. Slowly the dragon pulled him towards its open mouth. Cornell waited until he was almost in the creature's mouth when he fired a large burst of energy right into its' mouth. The creature howled in pain and immediately released him. Cornell tumbled into the water. He hadn't even begun to reach the surface when the dragon dove back into the water apparently not easily dissuaded. Underwater Cornell could finally see how large the dragon really was. Entirely the dragon was probably a mile and a half long. That was his advantage. Being so long it was going to be hard for it to find something as small as he was underwater. Its head was looking in another direction when Cornell began to dig his clawed hands into the part of the dragon's body closest to him. The head, he saw, immediately went above water. Even from under the surface Cornell could hear it screaming in pain. Slowly at first, Cornell started to climb the back of the dragon by continually digging his hand into it to make hand and footholds. "This is one situation where having claws for toes is really useful", Cornell told himself. After climbing to the surface the dragon was still screaming and now it was actually breathing fire in its hysteria. It's arms were large but apparently couldn't bend backwards all to well and so it was clawing unsuccessfully at it's back, attempting to grab at Cornell. Now that Cornell was above water he could climb faster and quickly made it directly in back of its head. Cornell dug his hands as far as he could through the dragon's scaly skin. With his hands still dug into the dragon, Cornell fired a large blast of energy from _both hands. The dragon screamed even louder. When the screaming ceased Cornell's hands could feel as the muscles inside the dragon went limp and he soon felt himself falling with the rest of the dragon's huge corpse. It's body broke through the a section of the West bridge and slowly began to sink. Cornell pulled his hands and feet from the dead corpse and swam to the section of the bridge that still lead to the doorway. He climbed up and walked towards the doorway. He sat down in front of one of the statues that decorated the doorway. He caught his breath for a moment and then got up feeling as ready as he was ever going to be to face whatever fate had in store for him next. He felt as if he had come a long way but had even longer to go and yet his body was already aching. But he knew he couldn't abandon Ada. He owed it to her. Cornell had sworn that he would go to hell and back to protect her. Looks like it was time to prove it, no matter the cost. At first the doors did not budge but after a few rams they swung open and Cornell walked in without looking back or even another thought of turning back.  _


	4. The Forest of Silence and Madness

Chapter 3: The Forest of Silence and Madness 

            When Cornell walked past the doorway the first thing he noticed was that all the sudden it became deathly quiet. Beyond the wall there was still a little more of the bridge to cross. Around him the sound of the ocean seemed stop. Ahead he could see that the island was surrounded with a forest and yet there was no sound of birds singing. Even more disturbing was the fact that his footsteps made no noise against the granite bridge. Then Cornell became suddenly aware that three small figure were…jumping towards him. They were small and green and although he couldn't make out what they were saying, they were making the only noise audible as yet. When they were close enough he saw that they were green hunchbacks jumping around in battered up blue pants. They were now close enough so that he could hear what they were saying but it took for a moment to realize why they were so difficult to understand their squeaky voices.

"Hmmmmwhatdoyouthinkofthisman-thinghmmm?" one said to the other two.

"Themasterwillbemostangrytoseethatithaskilledhisdragonhmmm," the closest to him said.

"Yesloveditlikeapethedidhmmm," said the other.

Keeping up with them was almost impossible, and the way they just jumped about was just…annoying. At last Cornell could take no more and was about to tell them to shut up…politely that is. In his mind he could hear himself saying "Could you be silent for a moment," but no sound came from his mouth. He tried to say it again and again but to no avail. Cornell grabbed at his mouth in disbelief. He looked around and thought to himself that it must be some kind of spell that has been put on this island. Meanwhile the three hunchbacks continued on with their annoying prattle. 

"Whatdoyouthinkweshouldowithhimhmmmm?" one asked.

"Isaywekillhim," one said.

The third said, "Whybother?Weallknowthatallwhoventuretothecastledie."

"YessssAllwhoventuretothecastlewilldie," began chanting the other two. Eventually all three started to chant and jump about even more excitedly. Cornell clasped his hands over his ears to try and block out the sound of their voices but could not. Their voices reverberated in his head. Cornell got down on his knees and tried to enter a special trance that he learned during his ascetic training but found the annoying prattle of the green hunchbacks too much for him. He quickly grabbed one of them by the throat and slammed his head into the ground. The sound of the hunchback's broken skull was almost music to his ears. The other two he blasted off the bridge with two quick bolts of energy. Cornell fell to the ground relieved to have some silence. Whatever spell has been cast on this part of the island it must surely be to drive unwanted visitors mad. If the spell is over the entire island then Cornell might just very well do that. He could perhaps stand for a little silence, but not an eternal one. As he started walking he realized that he was not in total silence. He could hear certain sounds like the sound of his own walking. But the sounds he did hear seemed to echo all around him. After walking some distance he reached a sort of square. The square had a marble floor. At each corner was a pillar that towered over it and curved to meet with the other pillars. In the center there seemed to be a statue covered in mud. Facing one corner of the square he saw two concrete paths leading to the same set of large doors. At another corner was a bridge leading to what looked like a switch. The last corner led deeper into the woods. Cornell walked up to the statue and saw a base plate with an inscription. Cornell read aloud the words that were engraved in the base plate.

"The sage points to the right path." Cornell looked again at the statue. 

"Well he's not going to point at much covered in mud." He then fired a short burst of energy to uncover a statue of what was apparently a sage pointing towards the two paths leading to the one door. Cornell looked again at the sage and noticed that he was pointing at the door using his left hand. Cornell reasoned that the idea was to take the left path. He wasted no time to think of what would happen by taking the right and just started walking towards the left path. Suddenly his ears were overwhelmed again by the sound of earth being moved. He looked around and saw that skeletons like the ones that attacked his village were coming out of the ground. Five skull warriors once again armed with swords and shields. Two tried to take a swing at him with their swords but got blown to pieces instead. The other three snuck up behind him and grabbed hold of him. Suddenly more began rising out of the ground and piling onto Cornell. He fought them with all his strength and managed shake a few off him, but they were making it exceedingly difficult by banging him in the head with the handle of their swords. At this point Cornell was beginning to feel large amounts of pain from his head. He was also getting dizzy from all the hits. With one big surge of strength he shook off a good three skull warriors and ironically onto the path to the right of the door. At once the path began to crumble and the skulls fell into the abyss below. Although overwhelmed Cornell continued to fight. But suddenly they started to grab at his feet and he soon found himself being carried. He put his head up and saw them walking through the left path. And as they approached the extremely large doors, they slowly began to open. 

            Beyond the doors there was more forest. As the skull warriors carried him they passed what looked like two crypts. The roofs of the crypts were missing. A few of the skull warriors actually started to knock on the doors of the crypts. Then, coming out of the top of the crypt's came out more skulls. Cornell looked around to see that some were even banging the ground apparently signaling for more skulls to rise up. They continued walking until they reached another marble square. This one was much larger and had no pillars or statue. The group that was carrying him took him to a spot in the center and forced him to the ground. Suddenly four hands came out from the marble floor. Two grabbed hold of his legs and the other two his arms. Cornell looked around to see that he was surrounded by hundreds of skull warriors all standing around him in a circle around the square. He looked around more and saw that he could see the castle wall. The drawbridge was raised. Cornell thought to himself, that if he somehow got out this, crossing the moat might pose a problem. Especially since at the moment he was seriously out numbered. The surrounding skulls were becoming increasingly excited. The only upside was that the sound of their rising out of the ground was keeping him from falling unconscious. But suddenly it went silent once more. No echoes, no sound at all. Cornell looked in the direction of the castle wall and saw a cloud of dust rising from the ground. Fastened down to the ground he could feel the ground shaking. The sudden blast of noise caused Cornell to almost scream in pain. From out of the ground he saw what looked just like all the other skull warriors, only ten times larger. Earth was thrown all over the place as it rose from the ground. Around him the smaller skulls were jumping around insanely. And from the giant skull warrior there came a thunderous roar. It walked towards him slowly; armed with a giant bone for a weapon. Cornell struggled to free himself from the grasp of the skull hands. Finally it was right above him. With its skeletal hands it ripped Cornell from the ground and held him close to its face. Had the giant had eyes in its sockets Cornell, would surely swear it was glaring at him, intent in eating him. "Good thing he's dead," thought Cornell. Although a small comfort since he is likely to be pounded to death. Cornell looked down at the ground beneath him as it slowly became further and further away. The giant skull held him high above his fellow skulls.  Cornell grabbed a tight hold of one of the skulls immense fingers and began to send as much energy through his hands and into the skull. His entire arm glowed with the color of Cornell's energy. Cornell began to howl when suddenly the skull's arm separated from the rest of him. The arm began to fall hand first; when it hit the ground it broke off from the rest of the arm and the hand that had Cornell trapped broke apart and Cornell fell hard against the ground. When he looked up again he saw with blurry vision a giant silhouette coming down towards him. Out of instinct he rolled to his left and felt particles of dirt and rock hit his backside. Cornell cleared his head and saw the giant take it's remaining arm out of the ground where it had tried to squash him. Cornell started running towards the giant's legs. His plan, to do to the monsters legs what he had done to its arm. But as he ran the skulls' body began to surge with energy and it suddenly leaped into the air. Cornell stopped in his tracks. He watched as it touched ground once more. When it did it sent a wave of dust particles towards him. Cornell covered his eyes and prepared for the impact. After the wave passed Cornell got up from where he had fallen and once again made a charge for the giant's legs. This time he reached them and immediately grabbed hold of his immense left leg. He grabbed on tightly but was too late because the giant had already jumped into the air already. Cornell let loose as much force as he could onto the creatures leg and soon the giant's entire body was radiating with Cornell's man-beast energy. The creature broke into pieces in mid air. When the pieces hit the ground another wave of dirt and rock formed. Only this one struck the giant's smaller compatriots who quickly fell to pieces. Cornell got up from under the leg that he had landed under and saw the giant and the little skull's remains begin sinking into the ground. Cornell smiled at the sight and fell to the ground exhausted.


	5. Reflections

He sat in a comfortable cushioned sofa across from the bed where she slept. His eyes were fixed on the white-haired girl asleep on the bed. There were no windows in this room and the only light came from the chandelier that hung from above. He rose from his seat and took a closer look at his "guest". She was a pretty girl with nice features, about twelve years old. If allowed, she might grow up to be a beautiful woman. If allowed. He looked hard at her face. For a moment it seemed to change. It changed to a very familiar face. 

"Lisa…?"

He was suddenly overtaken by a sudden lack of energy and he fell back into the sofa. He put his head in his hands and breathed heavily. Then he closed his eyes and laid his head against the back wall. His mind floated through several hundred years worth of memories. One in particular floated to the surface, a memory only forty-three years past. It was the last time he had been on earth. It was a painful memory and very much the reason behind his premature revival. It had not taken long for Vlad Dracula III to realize that his body could no longer regenerate itself every hundred years. He knew that not even a thousand years could repair the damage that he had suffered. Fighting his own sibling, a vampire of much the same caliber as he tends to do that to ones body. The once prince was well aware that the whip wielding Belmont's had their own special powers, but they had never done to him what his son Adrian, otherwise known as Alucard, had done. The distraught father tried very hard to find what he had done wrong with his son. In his lifetime, which was quite a long one, he had truly loved only two women. When his first wife committed suicide he lost his faith in God. When his own men murdered him he lost faith in humanity. It was on that day that he made a pact with the devil. He would forever be a scourge against humanity. His second love was named Lisa. There was something in her eyes. To him they were like mirrors. He had spent so much time in the darkness he had forgotten what he had looked like. Looking in the reflection in her eyes he didn't like what he saw. But it was not only her beauty that drove him to stop and ponder his ways but her bravery. He had originally been going to feed on another girl when she thrust her out of the way and took her place. Never had he seen such an act of selflessness from one woman to a complete stranger. In that split second moment that teaching that to "give one's life for a fellow man is the greatest gift" had never rung so true to his ears. He loved her ever since that night and he still did. She gave him a single son before…Lisa was crucified in front of the entire village, including an extremely young Adrian Farenheights Tepes. 

"Do not hate humans.  If you cannot live with them at least do them no harm.  For theirs is a hard lot." Through clenched teeth she uttered these final words to her son. The image of finding her lifeless body nailed to a wooden cross would forever remain his justification that humanity should be destroyed utterly. When Adrian told him what she said he tried very hard to believe her words but could not. He had made a pact with Lucifer and it would be his destiny to hold up his end of the bargain. It was becoming a costly pact. Fighting his son was never his plan. Adrian had fought him before but he had resigned to let others do what he could only assume was an act that he could not endure. Murdering ones father could not be such an easy task. Only this time he did not hold back. Now Dracula has been forced to take drastic measures to insure his survival. 

            "Lisa…forgive me for what I do."

            "Lord? Are you awake Lord?" There came a voice from beyond the darkness of his closed eyes. Without looking he thrust his hand out and grabbed tight around the neck of whoever had chosen to interrupt his thoughts. 

            "I…was…thinking. Something you might not be capable of. Now what is it," he opened his eyes to see who he was strangling, "my dear Gilles De Rais."

            "I am overjoyed to see my Prince deep in contemplating his next move and I thought this news might prove important."

            "I am afraid I still awake in ill humor Gilles as you well remember. What news do you have for me." He then let go of the vampire who promptly cleared his throat. 

            "The man-wolf is quickly approaching. Already he has reached the castle wall. I fear the wall's defenses will be insufficient to delay him let alone stop him."

            "Insufficient?"

            "The man-wolf has already defeated your pet sea-dragon and the giant skull warrior."

            "I see your point. It is still too early for the ceremony. We must keep the man-wolf occupied for the time being." Dracula closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. The door opened and two heavily armored gold plated knights entered the room. Their footsteps made a loud clanking sound. They stood behind De Rais and awaited instructions. 

            "Hell Knights. Bring the girl. We are leaving to a more secure location." Dracula rose from his seat and the two Hell Knights walked over to the bed to fetch the girl. 

            "De Rais, I will be setting up a few diversions for the lycanthrope and you will be among them."

            "More than I ever, I exist to serve you."

            "As always Gilles, you were the man I trusted the most. There is something that puzzles me though."

            "And that is Master?"

            "The girl's hair was well tended to don't you think? It had quite the woman's touch. In fact for a girl who was stripped from her home in the middle of the night she looks quite presentable. Would you care to enlighten me?"

            "Yes I was afraid you might notice. The Master Oldrey has yet to turn his wife and child."

            "What! He has defied what is my will! That all should be turned and serve me!"

            "Master, my bite was not sufficient to turn him totally. I…"

            "Irrelevant! If he was turned by my curse his mind belongs to me."

            "That is something else that I have yet to tell you. The villagers have been becoming, uncontrollable. It is no small wonder that one under your curse would be resisting you."

"I see your point De Rais. Nevertheless I will remedy this immediately."

            Gilles watched as his master closed his eyes. He was still becoming accustomed to his new skills and the fact that he himself had been resurrected. Hundred's of years ago, Gilles De Rais was Vlad Dracula's most trusted commander. He had discovered the plot that Dracula's own men had forged the letter that led to his wife's suicide and that those same traitors were planning to assassinate him. Unfortunately they killed him before he could warn his master. His last memory was looking up at his master, trying to warn him of the traitors behind. Then he watched as a soldier from behind beheaded him. After his life on earth ended he served his master in the Nether World but had never returned to him on earth. Before he was merely a lost soul in hell serving his prince, now he was a vampire who needed blood to survive. But not any mindless vampire, a vampire of rank, a vampire who could control his thirst and think clearly in order to serve his prince. He was back once more on this untamed earth, and still serving his lord. Now Gilles De Rais watched as his master reached out to the mind of the current living descendant of his family Jeremiah A. Oldrey, or as he wished to name him, Or De Rais. 

            Dracula had closed his eyes once more. This time he focused his mind. He looked deep within himself and found the place within. When one falls under his curse their eternal soul becomes his. He keeps all those souls within him where he can control them and communicate with them. If the mind had anyway to interpret what was within this ancient vampire it would see an ocean people all screaming for their souls. Then they would see Dracula hovering over them all waving his arm, parting the sea of lost souls until only two remained. Dracula stood face to face with the master Oldrey. 

            "Jeremiah Oldrey, hear me."

            Dracula put his hand on his shoulder and locked eyes with the man. "Listen to my words. The world of death is a fantastic one. It is one you should share with your family and the rest of the world. Especially share it to anyone who comes through your villa. You are lord of this annex and your wife should support you, she should give you a drink when you are thirsty. And you are very thirsty aren't you?"

            A smile crept onto the man's face as he responded, "Yes Master." Then Dracula opened his eyes once more. Gilles De Rais was staring at him. "He will no longer pose as a problem to us."

            "Delighted my Prince."

            Somewhere inside the villa a once good kind husband and father turned and left for one of the doors down a hallway. His mind filled with dark thoughts and mad ideas of what he should do next. Oddly excited by this new perspective on his undead existence he headed for the Archives where he wished to record his thoughts. Then he would find his wife, and then his son, and then they would be together as one happy undead family. 

"Very well handled Master."

"I must thank you Gilles. Your help in manipulating your great grandson has been most helpful."

"Thank you my Prince."

Dracula, Gilles, and the Hell Knight's who carried Ada exited to the hallway. "Are you well adjusted Gilles?" Dracula asked his commander.

"Irrelevant Master, I'm here only to serve you."

Dracula laughed. "Such loyalty was a rarity in our day. Today it must be extinct. Together Gilles, we will achieve what we had only dreamed of in our day."

"Yes, we must make humanity pay for its injustices against you and let your beautiful darkness reign over Wallachia."

"Darkness…"

            "Am I to be the only diversion for the man-wolf?"

"No," he turned to Gilles De Rais, "you know the villagers. They can be so uncontrollable."

            They continued walking down the hall reaching the farthest door before the hallway turned to the right. After that door they went into the door immediately to the right and began down a flight of stairs. 

            "Master, I'm curious why this man-wolf is so special? There seem to be so many about on the island. The one we are carrying, her brother, and that other one."

            The master smiled. "Speaking of our man-beasts, where is the other one?" 

"I don't know he slipped away after you gave him strict instructions to avoid... Master, you don't think…"

            "Interesting" the master replied.


	6. Meeting at the Castle Wall

A few moments passed and then Cornell began to stir, once again in his human shape. The battle with the giant skull had tired him greatly. He had needed time to let his wounds to heal and to catch his breath; but most importantly, how to get past the castle wall with the drawbridge up? He got up and walked towards the edge of the cliff. Lengthwise it would be suicide to try and jump. Vertically he couldn't climb down for two reasons. One, the cliff side was smooth and he could see nothing to grab hold of. Two, its depth was endless. Cornell was in no hurry to redefine the word "bottomless." His two options as he could figure was to either circle around the wall through the forest and see if there is any point where the cliff isn't as far away or go all the way back to the wreckage of the ship and pray that there is a rope long enough to throw across. Neither plan seemed likely to work. The purpose of this drawbridge and wall was to make sure that those who are inside decided who can and who can't go through. Going all the way back to the ship wasn't to appealing because it would involve going back to where he started. Cornell had just begun to consider cutting down trees and building a bridge when he heard a noise. Another loud noise sounded, and then another. Cornell then saw that the drawbridge was slowly coming down. Cornell jumped out of the way as it came crashing down the last few meters. Cornell pondered for a moment what this meant. Someone was watching him and letting him pass. The question was if it was a friend or foe? Whatever that person has planned for him, he wasn't going to let it stop him from getting Ada away from here. Cornell crossed the bridge, then when he was safely across and in the castle wall the drawbridge rose up again. He watched as his last chance to turn back, his only window to escape, grew smaller and smaller until it finally slammed shut. 

"No turning back now." 

Cornell was standing in a small hallway. Each end had a door. In front of him was a closed gate and beyond which was another open one. Beyond the last gate was whatever is inside the castle wall. Cornell tried to look and see what was beyond but could not. All he could see was darkness beyond, darkness that was suddenly…moving? A sudden laugh filled the room. 

"Who's there!" Cornell demanded. 

 "Shocking to find the great Cornell helpless in a place like this?" Then out of the gloom came a figure familiar to Cornell. The figure was muscular and of the same height as Cornell. He wore a yellow sleeveless shirt and red trousers. His hair was long and spiky; and its color was a mixture of yellow and white. White markings covered his tan skin. 

"Ortega!  You're alive!  I saw the village after it was attacked.  Your home was burned to the ground."

"I know."

            "Ortega? What's wrong? Have you nothing to say to your pack brother?"

"It has been one year since I lost to you."

"What?" 

"And Ada, why, she has really blossomed into a beautiful woman." 

"What are you saying?" 

"She will be a perfect sacrifice to offer Dracula for these powers!" Suddenly an aura of light engulfed Ortega.

"Dracula?! Powers? Wait... you were the one who led the attack on the village?  Who kidnapped Ada?!!  Have you sold your soul to the devil?!" 

Ortega merely smiled. A grin of utter enjoyment spread across his face as he watched Cornell explode in anger. "When I get my claws on you Ortega, I'm going to remind you the humans were so eager to accept a truce with us." 

Ortega's smile vanished. "You will find everything out soon enough, Cornell.  Soon enough." The light that surrounded Ortega faded and he turned and walked away into the darkness. He exited as silently as he had appeared. 

  "Ortega!" Cornell screamed. He was angry beyond description. He grabbed hold of the closed gate and began to conduct his energy into it but to no avail. Whatever metal the gate was made of would take too long to melt away. He needed a quicker way. Cornell took a quick sniff of the air. He could smell that Ada was beyond the closed gate and in that darkness.

"I'll save you Ada. Don't worry, I'm coming."

Cornell ran to the door to his right and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.  It was a firmly shut iron door with a relief of the sun. An engraving on the door read, "Sunlight releases the seal". A powerful magic had been used to keep this door locked at night. Cornell ran to the other door and found the same only instead of a relief of the sun it had one of the moon. It was still night so he assumed this door would open. He pushed hard and the door creaked open. Beyond Cornell found an extremely large and extremely dark room. It consisted of a central pillar that towered beyond his eye could see and stairs that hugged the walls. The only light came from the torches that hung from those walls. Cornell wasted no time and began running up the stairs. No sooner had he reached the second level did he run into what looked like a pillar of…bones? Two skulls of what looked like dragonheads lay on top of each other facing the opposite direction. He cautiously crept closer to it. Then when he was only a few feet away from it, the pillar turned around and Cornell was pushed off the edge of the stairs by white-hot flames. After the initial flame it began to systematically shoot out a ball of fire from its mouths every minute or so. Hanging from the edge of the stairs Cornell fired one big blast of energy at the pillar and it fell to pieces. He pulled himself up and was about to continue running up the stairs when a giant blade swooshed down from above, nearly cutting off Cornell's nose and the very tips of his toes. The end of the blade was stained in blood. After a few seconds the blade went up again rising into a section of the stairs in the above level. Cornell suddenly recalled a drunken woodsman boasting how there are more ways to die in the forest than in any other place in the world. He obviously had never ventured to this "demon" castle as it had been referred to over the years in legends. By the time he reached the top of the stairs he had encountered flying medusa heads, hoards of blood sucking bats, a number flame throwing skull heads, and rotating platforms with spikes.

At the top was a single door, which Cornell opened cautiously. It was very dark in the chamber that lay behind the door. Cornell had trouble seeing exactly what he was looking at. It was a large chamber, which was open to the moonlit sky. But even with the moonlight Cornell couldn't quite make out what the large object in the center of the chamber was. But more importantly where the loud sound of breathing was coming from. Cornell strained his eyes until he could finally see. It was a giant wheel with a lever mechanism in front of it. But at the moment Cornell was more concerned with what was on top of it. The reason that he was running to the other side of the chamber. The reason that there were blue flames chasing him. A three headed dragon. Cornell was sweating through his clothes. He could feel the heat on him. The dragon was wrapped around the wheel but its heads were free to roam around. Cornell had a plan to change that. He stood still for a moment and fired off a few energy blasts to make sure that he had all the heads attention. Then he started to run around the wheel. Soon the heads were chasing Cornell around the room and without realizing wrapping themselves tight against the wheel. Eventually they could no longer chase him and were quite stuck. Angered by their predicament the dragons continued to shoot fire from their mouths. But it was to no avail, Cornell fired his energy blasts and the dragons crumbled to ashes. Cornell didn't bother to rest after defeating the dragon. Being so close to where Ada was being held fired his soul. He run to the device and after some inspection Cornell could only assume [and hope] that this was a device for opening and closing iron bars such as those that were blocking his way. Cornell cleared the switch mechanism of the dragon's charred ashes and read a message that was engraved into its face. 

"You must close all the open eyelids." 

"Could this switch's purpose be to close all the iron bars? But one of them is already closed and that's my problem."

Cornell looked around the room and saw that there was an opening. He walked towards it and found himself on a balcony above another smaller chamber. In the chamber below was a long crack in the floor, which led down into yet another level of the castle wall. Directly across from Cornell was another iron bar. Behind it was what Cornell assumed a similar chamber to the one he was in. Judging from the distance between his balcony and the raised iron bar, the iron bar was the open gate where Ortega escaped. But the switch he had found apparently only close open gates not open the closed ones. He would have to take a chance that there was a switch to open ALL the gates behind those iron bars. Cornell went back and threw the switch. Then he ran back to the balcony. The bars were lowering! There was no direct route to the other chamber. He took a few steps back to gather some momentum and then made a jump for it. Whilst in mid-air Cornell quickly changed into his wolf form. This gave him enough force to make to the other side safely. The other chamber proved to be more or less the same thing as the other one except for the engraving that he found on this chamber's switch. 

"Open the closed eyelids and close the open ones."

Cornell had already closed all the open "eyelids" so if this engraving told the truth it would only be a matter of throwing this switch and he would be on his way. The sound of gates being raised was music to Cornell's ears. He immediately leaped over the raising bars and dropped into the middle section. Cornell found himself facing yet another pillar of bones. But now that the gates were open he would not waste time. Ada's scent was shooting into his nostrils. He ignored the pillar and brushed off a few skull warriors that popped out of the very floor with one wide spread blast. He jumped into the crack and into the second level of the wall. It was a storage room with various sacks lying around. Looking around there was no hole into the lower level, only another door. 

"No more doors!" he howled as he charged his fist and punched a hole into the floor. He jumped into his self made hole and finally found himself back where he started. Only this time there was nothing to stop him from following not only Ada's scent, but also Ortega's as well. 

Cornell ran into the darkness. His thoughts were of his sister who he would soon rescue and vengeance against the man who betrayed his village. Once his closest friend, now, Ortega was going to be his lunch.


	7. Old Foe, New Friend

            Beyond the darkness that Cornell ran into was a grand entrance to a nobleman's villa. It was an odd thing to find within the castle wall to be sure. But this castle has had a strange history. The castle has been destroyed many times has always found a way to put itself back together again. But when it does, it is never quite the same as before. The castle is a creature of chaos. Its only purpose is the same as its master, to be a scourge to humanity. This is why so many parts of the castle seem so unconventional and unlivable. With the exception of a few areas, the entire castle is a death trap designed to be the ultimate defense for its master while he prepares to take the world by storm. But when the castle arose this time it found an interesting problem. Someone had built a villa where the castle had always appeared! So this time the castle integrated the villa into itself. The villa was now very much a part of the castle. This would be obvious to anyone who had stayed in the villa before its transformation. But at this point there were only four living people who had seen the villa in its prime. One of those four was sitting by a window ledge in the castle wall. He had been resting when the sound of voices and then the two iron gratings being moved, disturbed him. When he first looked outside he had seen a single figure walk out only to be met by those dogs. Those giant three headed fire-breathing dogs. The sole figure petted the multi-headed mutts and seemed to whisper some instructions to them. Though the window offered him a view of what lay immediately beyond the wall it was too far away to make out what he said. But their next acts more or less spelt out their plan. After giving them their instructions the figure walked away and the dogs jumped into the bushes that lay behind the fences on either side of the villa entrance. Now the watchful character watched as Cornell came into plain view. The watcher's hand clutched the handle of his loaded pistol. He knew that this trap was going to be messy. Even though he knew for a fact that this man-wolf could handle himself.

            Cornell looked around and saw no sign of Ortega. His scent, like Ada's lead straight through the entrance of what seemed to him, a mansion. It must surely be the villa that the ferryman had told him about. But Cornell was now more concerned about another scent he now detected. It was the smell of a…

            "…dog? On fire?"

            Cornell suddenly felt himself pushed to the ground by such a huge amount of force that he yelled in pain when he hit the ground. He opened his eyes to see what had pushed him and was now holding him down with such force. His ears exploded with the sound of loud barks, all coming from right on top of him. At first Cornell thought many dogs were holding him down, but he soon saw that the three dogs that he was staring at were one and the same. He looked down their throats and saw a sudden spark of flame lighting in all their mouths. Balls of flame were forming in their mouths. Cornell tried to free his arms but could not. In his mind he saw this as the end.

            "I'm sorry Ada…just couldn't make it…"

            It was then that one of the heads exploded. Cornell closed his eyes as blood splattered over his face. The remaining heads turned to look at a now more interesting prey. Cornell looked in the same direction as the dogs. A dozen feet away from them, a figure dressed in a heavy green overcoat and a fancy hat was lowering himself from a rope that was coming down from a window ledge in the castle wall. He finished lowering himself and Cornell saw that in his hands were now two pistols. The man fired the pistols and off went the other two heads. Unfortunately Cornell was still trapped under the weight of the now dead dog. The gun toting man ran to Cornell and started to help him lift the dog off. Cornell thanked him in between breaths.

            "No problem, I just hope your house broken wolf man," the man said with a husky Scottish accent. The man looked around wildly and put Cornell's arm around his neck to help him up. 

            "Come on, there are two more we're gonna hafta fight off."

            "Two? Don't worry, I've got a little more warning now, so I shouldn't go down so easy."

            "Hope so," the man said letting Cornell stand on his own. Then they both looked ahead of them, drawn by the sound of barking coming from directly in front of the house. The fence that blocked the house opened and immediately two more dogs came charging at them. 

            "Thank you, Coller," Cornell said.

            "Anytime Cornell."

            Then they both charged like mad men at the oncoming dogs. One of the dogs stopped and fired balls of flame, which blocked their path. Coller stopped but Cornell leapt high into the air and over the flames. Through the flames a second dog came charging at Coller. Cornell dug his hands into the eyes of one of the dog's heads. The dog howled in pain. Then with one of his energy blasts he sliced off another one of it's heads. Finally the dog collapsed. Cornell turned around to see how his new ally Coller was doing. He turned and saw Coller riding the huge dog like a horse and tying a rope around one of the heads. He then forced the head to look in the direction of the other two, yanked the rope and a fireball came spewing out of its mouth. The entire dog went ablaze and Coller leapt off it and landed near Cornell. Within seconds the dog exploded into flames.

            "Not bad," Cornell told him as he helped him up.   

            "Thanks."

            "Are you alright?"

            "I'll be fine, all I need is a moments rest and a drink of water."

            "Well I think we can rest here for a moment but water I cannot offer you."

            "Come with me, there is a fountain ahead where we can both rest, drink and talk of old times." Cornell followed him past the gate until they reached, as he said, a large fountain. It was basically a large pillar with a circular top from which water fell into its octagonal base. Together they sat down at the fountain and began to drink from its water. After a few drinks Cornell turned himself back to his human form. The bright light made Coller squint his eyes for a moment but otherwise Coller did not seem shaken. 

            "That's something I haven't seen in quite a few years."

            "It something you should never have had to see again."

            "Aye, its good to see you Cornell and under better circumstances than the last time."

Cornell laughed. "Better circumstances? Coller, I'm beginning to think we are entering the gateway to hell and you think this is a good circumstance?"

Coller smiled, "Well a couple 'a years ago I woulda been aiming for your hairy head and not the dogs."

"Coller the hunter. Don't tell you've become bitter because you have no game to hunt."

"The complete opposite Cornell. Having to give up hunting your kind was the best thing to happen to me. Now what did you call the event? Ah, the 'final gathering' it was. 

 "You know before then you were the only human to kill one us and live. There were others but they never lived long enough to see and tell what happened when we die. Only you had seen that we were human on the inside."

            "Aye. I have quite a reputation before me. I don't expect you ta trust me much. I've killed many of your kind. But I'll remind you that I only killed because your kind hunted mine. When you stopped, I stopped. Now I just hope we can be allies."

            "I bear no malice toward you. I know my sins, and those of my people. I will not fight you because I know you are a man of honor. You did what you had to do to protect your people."

            "I'm happy ta hear it" Coller said as he slapped Cornell on the back. "Now would you mind enlightening a poor highlander from Scotland as to why a man-wolf would be on this god-forsaken island? And how is it that you were able to release your wolf power? You did tell us the seal was permanent."

            "A year ago I was chosen as the lone man-wolf who would undergo a form of ascetic training that would allow me to tap into the seal and release the power, for a time, and only for good. When I returned home I found skeleton warriors burning my village to the ground. The villagers were all gone. Dead or taken I don't know. All I do know is that my sister's scent was still fresh and it has led me here." 

            "Well I'm afraid I canna help you. I've not seen the likes of your sister. I recall the wee lass. White hair just like yours with bright green eyes. It always bothered me, your sister, at the gathering she…"

            "Why don't you tell why you're here," Cornell interrupted.

            Coller paused and looked at Cornell for a moment. "Well my wolf friend, my tale is a much lengthier one than yours. Its still night and the moon is out. I donna recommend walking about the villa at night."

            "Why not?"

            "Because lad, the forces of evil are at work here and they are strong by day but are twice as strong at night."

            "I see. So why are you here?" 

            Coller sat himself down and leaned against the base of the fountain. The sound of the fountain's water flowing into its base filled his ears. He closed his eyes and memories several years past then flooded his mind.


	8. Nowhere Bound

Chapter 7: Nowhere Bound  
  


            Coller had not slept the night before. He had stayed awake and watched the man-wolves all night. Actually he really hadn't stayed up all night watching man-wolves. There are no more man-wolves. He stayed up all night to watch humans. They moved like humans, talked, walked, and slept like humans. In every sense the hundred or so inhabitants that were now camped outside of the village of Veros were human. The only real difference is that until last night they had been bloodthirsty man-wolves. Now they ate among humans and in the coming years would farm and celebrate with the humans. It was a new day. Coller spit out the piece of grass he had been chewing on since yesterday and stood up to stretch his stiff muscles. He looked around and saw the vast amount of tents that the man-wolves now lived and saw that none of them had awakened yet. He decided that he would report to the village leaders that the man-wolves seemed sincere in the decision to remain human. Coller began to walk the road that led back to the village. The sound of his footsteps kicking leaves out the way was the only sound. Nevertheless Coller knew he was being watched. He walked a little further and then stopped in his tracks. He looked a little to his left and then to his right. Before the shadowy figure even jumped out of the bushes, Coller had already pulled his guns from their holsters. The figure that had jumped out was of medium height and had short white hair. Blue eyes stared at Coller from a cold face that hid behind white hair that was long in the front and hung over to cover his features. Despite the hair color, the man appeared to be young looking and well built. The shirt he wore left most of his chest and neck bare so his level of strength was apparent. The designs on his garments and the red sash around his waist were like something a gypsy might wear. Around his neck was a shiny blue necklace. This was the one they called Cornell. Coller had seen him lead the man-wolves in the peace meetings. If there was to be any peace in the coming years, it was all due to Cornell. Even though Coller knew this, he thought it wise to be cautious anyway. 

"Staying in shape?" he asked Cornell.

"You spent the night watching us," he said in a completely human voice.

"Yes," Coller confessed.

"I spent the night watching you."

"You must be sleepy then."

"Not really." Cornell looked at into Coller's eyes. "I know peace between us will be hard, but I want you to remember that we took the first step to make peace."

"I know. I'll remember too."   

"Good," Cornell said, his stare never leaving his. "I was wondering," he said and finally Cornell turned and looked in the direction of Veros, "will you be staying long?"

"No. Why?"

"My people have never hunted before. At least not the way you do. Our old ways might not be the best way to hunt animals, considering."

Coller let out a laugh and rubbed his beard. "Let me guess, you want me to teach you people how to hunt?"

"Yes."

"I never thought I'd hear that one."

"You are reputed to be the greatest hunter in these parts. Indeed, you are the only man to have killed a man-wolf and live to tell about it. You are the likely choice."

"Aye. That I am."

Cornell then gestured towards the two pistols that Coller had replaced in the appropriate holsters. "May I see them?"

"Me guns?"

"Yes."

Coller considered for a moment and then removed his gun belt and handed it to Cornell. "How's this for a gesture. You can try it on for size and carry it the rest of the way. Since you're not sleepy, would you fancy a drink on me?"

"Thank you," Cornell said taking the gun belt and putting it on.

"Heh. A mighty fine fit Cornell."

Together they began to walk towards town. Cornell toyed with the pistol in his hand. Coller warned him not accidentally fire it off. Finally Cornell questioned him about the origin of the pistol.

"The gun you are holding in your hand is one of a kind. I made it myself along with a few other gadgets that I use."

"Remarkable."

"Why thank you laddie. It means a lot coming from someone I figured for prey not a few months ago."

"Where will you go?"

"Ach. I don't really know. I do know I am not needed here. And anyway, my presence might be a nuisance to your peace. If you were to call our feud a war, then I would be the only war criminal still that needs a trial. At least according to your lot."

"Coller. My 'lot' is now your lot. I don't want you to feel as though you are being forced out of here. We could use you here. We need someone to teach us your ways."

"Cornell, you people do not need a hunter to teach them how to kill. Your people need a farmer to teach you how to survive, to grow food for your fellow man. At any rate, I think your people can put up a good fight on their own."

"Perhaps you are right."

            "I plan on just wandering about for awhile. See what happens. I'm a strong believer that the Lord has a plan for all his children." 

            They had finally reached the edge of town and Coller turned to face Cornell. "Will you be joining me for that drink?"

            "No. Some other time," Cornell said as he handed the guns back to their owner.

            "In that case, I suppose I'll be off."

            "If you ever come by here again, you shall be welcome in my home."

            "Mighty glad to hear it. Goodbye Cornell. I wish your people luck. And take good care of that little sister of yours. What was her name?"

            Cornell smiled, "Ada, yes, I will. Although in the past we have been on opposite sides, I hope when next we meet, we will fight along side each other." 

            "Me too, Cornell, me too." With one last smile and a big strong slap on the shoulder, Coller was off. He mounted his horse and rode off into the wilderness beyond Veros. Cornell stood there for a moment pondering whether or not he would see the hunter again. In his mind he hoped so. The world needed more like him. Not so many humans had been as eager to bring peace as Coller. Cornell stood there not suspecting that one day they would indeed stand together for a common cause.


	9. Family of Magic

Chapter 8: Family of Magic 

Coller had traveled for several weeks not knowing where he was heading. Then he remembered a friend he had in the town of Jova. Kristoff was a former blacksmith turned bar keep. He had helped him once to repair his pistols after some man-wolves had given him quite a fight. Kristoff told him that he was always welcome to come by and stay awhile. Coller felt it was about time he took him up on that offer. When Coller rode into town he saw a large crowd gathered in the center of town. The crowd was surrounding a large pole where three people were tied. Coller suspected that the three must be witches. Instead of heading towards the crowd, he got off his horse and went straight to his friend's tavern. Inside he found the tavern empty. He walked up to the wooden bar and knocked on it yelling, "Kristoff! Are you here you sorry excuse for a blacksmith!" Then from behind the bar he heard a moan. Immediately he jumped over and found a man laying face down. Turning over the body, he saw behind the blood and bruises, the face of his old friend Kristoff.

"Kristoff…"

"Coller," he said, struggling to keep his voice from cracking. 

"Shh. Try not to speak."

"No…you must stop…the burning…girl…is a Fernandez. Stop them Coller, stop…"

"Shh. Quiet now."

Coller then put Kristoff lying against the bar. "I'll stop them for you. You just sit tight and I'll bring someone for you. Here, have a drink. On the house I'm sure." Coller then left the tavern with both pistols in his hand. When he reached the crowd, he saw a priest speaking in Latin and one of the women tied to pole yelling in some other tongue. Coller budged his way closer to listen to what the girl was saying. When he was close enough to hear, he recognized the language she was speaking in. Although he couldn't speak Spanish, he knew it when he heard it, and this girl was not speaking Spanish to the crowd, but to a group that was very close to her and as far as Coller could tell, crying. Finally he pointed his guns up into the air and fired a shot from both pistols. The crowd immediately turned toward the newcomer. The priest stopped his Bible ranting and asked him, "who are you that dares interrupt the Lord's good work!"

"Who are you sir, to interrupt Coller the hunter's revenge!" The crowd instantly responded to the name of Coller the hunter. What followed was a series of grunts and murmurs between the townspeople. Finally Coller spoke again. "Aye, I am Coller the hunter, and I say that I ought t'be the one to kill that there witch!"

"We know of you Coller the hunter. But this witch has bewitched a mother if this town and put the devil into her daughter," said the priest. The crowd then began to yell out various obscenities and described what the witch apparently did. "The girl was dead and she brought her back with the devil's soul," they yelled. Coller once again raised his gun and the crowd went silent. 

"Aye. I feel most fully for the souls that this here witch has disgraced with the devil's work. But I have to ask, what of my mother?!" The crowd stayed silent. "That's right, my mother, the I loved dearly and she killed!" Again the crowd yelled its obscenities. "I tell you good people of Jova, this witch has done me wrong ten times worse than she has you. She killed me mother and father! She killed me girl and my dog! You tell me who should kill her!"

The priest then raised his hand to control the crowd's bellows. "It is true then. You should have the pleasure of killing this witch. Come sir and be the one who lights these damned souls afire!" 

"No," Coller said simply. The ensuing screams took quite a few minutes to calm down, but eventually the priest took control again.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I mean, not here, not like this. I will decide when and where they are to die."

"We accept your claim that you should kill the witch but we do demand immediate justice."

"Your justice will be delayed only until tomorrow night. For tomorrow night is the anniversary of when she killed my loved ones. What do you say to that? Can you hold till then so that the souls of my loved ones can sleep soundly?"

The priest considered for a moment and then consented to Coller's request. Coller saw that the women were left tied to the pole but four guards were placed to watch over them. Many of the townspeople offered Coller their condolences and prayers. Coller then made his way back to the tavern, there he found a group of men talking to Kristoff who had seated himself at a table. 

"Don't be bitter Kristoff, we were just trying to save your soul," said one.

"Yes, trying to beat the devil out of you so to speak," said another.

" 'Beat the devil out of me?' I'll beat the life out of you if you try laying a hand on me! Now get out of here! Out!" Kristoff yelled.

Coller walked toward the table. "I see you're in your normal good spirits."

"What's this talk about having the devil in me?"

"Well, I managed to postpone the burning till tomorrow..."

"I said to stop Coller!"

"Lissen to me Kristoff. What makes you think any of us is going to be here tomorrow? Eh? Eh?" Coller and Kristoff then erupted with loud laughter to fill the room.

"Ah Coller, I knew you would come through!"

"Aye. Now tell me, who are these ladies that have caught your fancy?"

"I told you. They are Fernandez."

"Fernandez, aye. Now what does that mean?"

"Coller you unknowledgeable brut. The Fernandez family is a leAnadary Spanish family known for their magic powers."

"Magic?"

"Magic. When I was a blacksmith I had the privilege of helping quite a few customers quietly. Fixing wagons and such. One of those was the Fernandez."

"How did you know?"

"I swear Coller, on my mother's grave. I saw one of them make this, orb of light. I saw one of them light a pile of firewood with one of those. They didn't know I saw but I did. Now the one of the women up there works for me serving here at the tavern. Her little girl got sick and was at death's door. Now a few days ago, I happen to see that same wagon I repaired all them years ago. I rode out and found them. They didn't remember me of course, but they believed my story. I told them about the girl and asked if they had any magic that could cure her. Their leader, that other woman, agreed that she would come with me. Now I don't know how, I suppose someone must have seen, but when she went to go back to her wagon train, the whole damned village was waiting for her. The village didn't know about the wagon train and I didn't know they had caught her till today. Then when I spoke in her defense, those youngsters came at me. Then you showed up and well, you took it from there."

"Well, that's good to know. Now lets wait until dark to break the lasses out shall we?"

When it was finally dark, Coller and Kristoff quietly made their way to the center of town. The four guards were still there but only two were awake. The town was basically one road with houses and shops on either side. In the center of town, right in the middle of the single road was where the three women were tied to a pole and surrounded by firewood. Of the two guards that were awake, one faced the direction that Coller and Kristoff were coming from and the other face the opposite direction. "Do you have a plan?" Asked Kristoff before they reached hearing range of the guard. "Yes," he replied. 

"Well?"

"I'll let you know." Then Coller put up his best smile and addressed the guard who could now hear them. As they came closer the guard pulled the hammer back on his rifle.

"Who goes there?"

"I do. Coller the hunter, come to inspect his prey."

"Oh. Well if its you."

"Of course laddie! Now tell me, there are only two of you?"

"Well the others dozed off."

"I see I see. Well why don't you call your other friend and let me have a word with you. You see something just occurred to me about how we can more safely hold these witches."

The guard then called the other. The four now stood facing each other. "Now lissen real close now. Kristoff, do you see now what we can do with these fine Anatleman standing where they are?"

"I believe I do Coller," Kristoff said just before he and Coller punched the two guards simultaneously. They caught them before they crashed onto the ground and made any sort of noise. Then they dragged them up to the pole. Two of the women were awake and had been watching Coller and Kristoff, the little girl was sound asleep. 

"Kristoff, you go wake those guards up and knock them out again for good measure, I'll untie these ladies."

"Right."

Coller then looked into the eyes of the woman he was untying. "So, you are the magical Fernandez?"

"And you are the man whom I owe my freedom to. Even after I killed your mother, father, and…dog?"

"Don't forget the woman I loved."

She smiled, "of course not."

"Now that you're free, untie your friends and let me tie up these boys in your place."

After the Fernandez woman untied the other two, Coller and Kristoff tied the guards to the post. Coller led them back to the tavern where they could pick up some horses and the Fernandez woman could lead them to the wagon train. Quietly they rode their horses through town and beyond. On the way to the wagons, the mother did her best to keep her daughter asleep. Kristoff rode a little slower in order to keep an eye out behind them. Coller rode up next to the Fernandez woman.

"You know lass, I've done all this and I still don't know your name." The woman smiled. Coller looked at her smiled and deduced that she was one who didn't smile nearly enough. She had long black hair tied into a braid and she had brown eyes. The clothes she wore were of a style that Coller did not recognize. They could not hide that she was a little thin but nevertheless had quite a bit of hidden strength. Her face and voice were pleasant but nothing extraordinary. In fact, physically or otherwise, there was nothing extraordinary about this woman except Coller found himself looking at her waiting impatiently for a response.

"Ana," she said simply.

"A fine name. Mine is…"

"Coller the hunter. Yes I heard this morning. Thank you for that. And this."

"Your very welcome," Coller said doffing his hat to her.

"How far is your wagon train?"

"Not far now."

"Will you take in the mother and her daughter?"

"Of course. We've taken in a few others."

"Is it true what they say about your family."

She smiled again. "Magic exists in this world. Some accept it, some don't. My family has a talent to do more than accept it. We use it to help others. Even now."

"I know of magic. I use to hunt a kind of magical people called man-wolves."

A cloud passed over Ana's face suddenly. "Man-wolves are not the best example of what magic can do. They are a heartless people. But they know better than to attack us. In fact I believe they once told us that we smell differently."

"Well don't worry. There are no more man-wolves. At least not like before. They locked away their powers. They want to be like us now."

"Really?"

"Aye."

"So now you have no more game to hunt?"

"Well. In the case of the man-wolves, that's a good thing."

"I see. Where will you go?"

"Well I was going to join up with Kristoff here, but that is no longer an option now is it?"

"You can join us."

Coller looked at Ana. "Would that be an invitation?"

She smiled as she said, "we're here." Before them were six wagons encircled. In the center was a large bonfire and surrounding the fire were a few tents. All around there were people eating talking. When the first person noticed they all turned around excitedly and ran to greet them. People helped them down from their horses and started to shake Coller's hand and…hug him. This was certainly not something Coller was use to. Somewhere, someone said, "music, this occasion deserves music!" Behind him Kristoff immediately started to mingle and dance. Coller saw Ana tell one of her people help the mother settle in somewhere. With all the noise the little girl was now awake and for the first time Coller had seen, laughing. One of Ana's people took Coller's horse and tied it with a few others. Coller joined Kristoff in the dancing and the celebrating which went on for most of the night. Finally it was almost daybreak. Coller got up from where he had fallen asleep somewhere on the campgrounds and surveyed the area. He saw Kristoff lying somewhere with a huddled with a bottle in his hand and saw the new tent set up for the mother and her daughter. Everyone else was in his or her apparently normal sleeping wagon. Coller looked into the forest and saw a lone figure walking into it. Coller got up and followed it.

"Ana?"

The figure turned around and Coller saw that it was certainly Ana. "Coller? Why are you up so early?"

"Old habits die hard. I'm actually use to sleeping," he said walking beside her now. "I remember staying up all night sitting in a cave looking out to the same spot of forest waiting for a pack of man-wolves to come crashing in."

"Did they come?"

"Aye."

"What did you do?"

"I got a scar going down my chest and opened a few new holes in the heads of about three man-wolves."

Ana stopped walking and Coller followed suit. "You're a natural leader aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"Yes, you are. Brave, courageous…"

"Bravery and courage aren't all that a leader is made up of you know."

"Every morning I leave the camp and think, all alone. I try to think of what I'm supposed to tell my family. I try to keep up this farce that I know what I'm doing."

"I'm no judge, I've only known you since yesterday, but I think you know how to handle yourself."

"I think I can handle myself, but when the lives of others are to be considered. You know I am the hereditary leader of the family. I have been for only a few months since my father died. I'm also the first female head of the family for over a hundred years. The last female leader was the greatest."

"What was her name?"

"Syfa Belmundes. She was the greatest and most powerful of us all. It is said she helped to defeat Dracula himself. That's a lot to live up to." 

"Dracula? Never met him. Know of him and after what I heard I wouldn't mind a crack at him myself."

Ana smiled. "You are very brave if that is true," she said. They stood together for a few moments, silently. Ana finally broke the silence, "it was."

"What was?"

"An invitation, to stay with us."

"Aye, I will then." 

'For you Ana,' Coller said to himself in the deepest corner of his heart. Although Coller could not explain it, he felt drawn to this woman. In the past he never had to time to make relations with any woman. Always too busy hunting. Now it seemed, with this peaceful wandering band of magicians he would have that chance, and with Ana. Coller had not yet seen their magic, but he believed that they possessed it, for this woman whom he had met only a day ago now possessed his heart. Day broke, the sun shone over their camp, and a new beginning for Coller, no longer the hunter, began. 


	10. The Witch of the Dora Woods

A year after Coller and Kristoff joined the Fernandez's, Kristoff married, Hannah the woman   
they he gotten out of Jova. Meanwhile, with Coller's help, Gen managed to help more people with much more discretion than the first time they had met. Within a year they had become more than friends or colleagues. They were lovers. Everyone felt the change in the atmosphere. They were rarely apart and the family was glad to see Gen so happy. Indeed, with Coller at her side she became more confident with herself. In the years after joined the family, Gen's powers grew. The elders of the family saw this as a sign that she was fulfilling the destiny that was hers, being that she was the first woman to lead their family in over a hundred years. The year is now 1844, and Gen has fallen under a fever. For the past four years Coller has slept peacefully alongside the love of his life. Now he once again stays awake for days at a time cradling his love in his arms trying to soothe her sickness. Some nights she screams, wails, and moans in tears. Even then Coller remains with her. Stays with her waiting for those brief moments when she is   
herself again. But the moments grow shorter and shorter. The spirits of the whole family grows weaker and weaker each day. For three days they have been camped out in the swamps and woods of Dora. Coller sits next to Gen and holds her hand. He has been staring at the same piece of floor all night. It is only until he hears the voice of Kristoff calling his name that he looks away. 

"Coller!" 

He lets go of Gen's hand for the first time in what seems like days and makes his way out of the   
wagon. He covers his eyes from the bright sun, which he has hid from for days. "What is it Kristoff?" Coller asks. 

"We found something. In the swamps, there is a marsh with a trail of stones that lead to some   
kind of small island made from stone. And on the stone island is a single cave. From what I can see it leads to under the marsh. It's a devilish place and yet there is a light inside." 

"A light? Show me." And so Coller, together with Kristoff and four other men strong not only in   
body but in magic went to this marsh. But before leaving Coller asked the forgiveness of his love, for he put on a belt that he had taken off and put away four years ago, hoping to never again to need his creations. 

When they arrived, Coller took in the sight of the hellish area. It was indeed like Kristoff   
described. It was a marsh with a trail of stones that led from the shore and went across the black liquid which no man could tell if it was black water or just a dark mud, or both, or worse. In the middle was the island. It looked like it was a huge stone that grew out of the black surface. It was covered with moss and had a single entrance from which Coller could see the ominous light. He turned to give everyone his commands. 

"Kristoff, you and the other will stay here." 

"If you think I'm letting you go in there alone…" 

"It might be dangerous." 

"All the more reason!" 

"Lissen to me blacksmith! Ever since we entered these Dora swamps Gen has fallen ill. We have nay been able to find our way out of here! If someone lives there then they might know the way out or God willing, might have something to cure Gen. Now I'm going in alone. If I don't come out, then you go back and you take the wagon train on a course straight away. Just keep on going until you find a way out. If Gen wakes up, you just tell her that I love her and I always will, wherever I end up. Do you hear?" 

"Damn you Coller. Good luck and be careful." 

Coller made his way to the cave, carefully jumping from one stone to another. All around him,   
the stench of death was unmistakable. By the time Coller reached the entrance to the cave, not one bird chirped, nor a snake hissed. Coller stood on the last stone before the cave. He kneeled and poked at the ground the cave sat on. It seemed solid but very damp. Coller stepped on to it and looked ahead to see where the cave led. The inside of the cave sloped downwards under the marsh. It was from within the cave that the light shone. The flicker of light meant that it was a fire. Coller judged that the slope was a gentle one, but when he placed on foot on it, he slipped and slid downwards. Lucky for him, the slope was not long, nevertheless he hit his head on a rock that lay at its base. Coller cursed as he rubbed the spot where his head hurt. He got up again and saw that the rest of the cave led into a corridor made of stone. Hanging on the damp walls of the corridor was a row of lit torches. These were the source of the light and the final proof that someone lived here. Coller took one of the torches off the wall and began walking down the   
corridor. Suddenly a gust of wind emerged from nowhere and blew out all the torches save the one in Coller's hand. A chill ran down Coller's spine as he looked ahead and into the dark and seemingly endless corridor. He then pulled back the hammer on his pistol. He stood still for a moment. The only sound was of his own breathing, and that of the flame. He thought of Gen, lying half-dead and suddenly felt his determination replenished. 

Coller walked for several minutes until finally the corridor widened out into a room of sorts. The room was circular. In the center was a boiling pot. Inside he could not tell what liquid was producing so much smoke. On the walls were shelves with jars of various sizes. Beyond Coller could see that the cave had more openings which led deeper and deeper. Coller thought for a moment that this cave perhaps led to the center of the world. 

"Who are you?" A voice came from the darkness. 

"My name is Coller. Who are you? How is it that you can live in such a place as this?" 

"It is my home. Like that little island is yours." 

"What do you know about me?" 

"I know many things." 

"Show yourself!" 

Then from one of the darkened corridors that lay beyond came a small and frail figure. It was an   
old woman dressed in an old gray cloak that covered her from head to toe. Coller couldn't even see if she had feet. Her voice was the only give away as to what her sex was. It wasn't until she came closer and into the light of Coller's torch that he could see her face. 

"You haven't answered me old woman. Who are you?" 

"Why do you trouble yourself with questions like that? Why don't you tell me what you want? I   
might be able to help," said the old woman. Her voice was soft and gentle. It reminded Coller too much of the voice of a proper English lady. All of this was wrong thought Coller. This old woman living here and the contents of this cave, it all added up to one thing, witchcraft. 

"You can't help me you old hag." 

"Be you so sure!" 

Coller nearly fell onto the ground at the suddenness of her reply. Which, at the same time of her   
reply, her face came into full view. Her pale wrinkled face was common enough to see in a woman of her apparent age, but her eyes hid something else. Her eyes were like those of a creature more ancient than time itself, and black like no blackness that Coller had ever seen. 

"Coller," a voice said from behind him. Coller quickly turned around to see whose it was. The   
voice belonged to Kristoff who now stood several feet behind him. The other two men from the caravan stood with their muskets aimed at the old woman. 

"Who is this woman?" Asked Kristoff. 

"She has nay told me Kristoff. An we will not stay to find out!" Coller then turned to the old   
woman. "We are leaving now. Don't try anything to stop us." 

"Gen," she said simply as Coller turned to leave. The sound of his love's name sent the tip of   
Coller's pistol into contact with the crone's nose. 

"What do you know crone? An you better be quick about it or I'll make another hole in your   
head." 

The woman smiled and ran a single finger down the barrel of Coller's pistol. "Bring her to me. I   
will restore her to her rightful state." 

"Never!" 

"That's for the elder's to decide, Coller," said one if the men from the caravan. 

"Marco is right Coller. The elder's must decide whether to take this woman's offer. It's their way and you know it," Kristoff added.   
  
"Entrust her to this hag! I won't have it!" 

"It's not yours to decide." 

Coller looked at Kristoff. He knew he was right. Coller, Kristoff, and his wife and daughter were family in every way but one to the Fernandez. They were not blood-related or married to any of them. 

Therefore they could not make a decision that can effect the whole family on their own. They must, according to their own laws, bring this woman's offer before the family elders and they must decide. 

"Very well." Coller turned to speak to the crone. "Know this hag, you won't touch a hair on my   
Gen's head if I have anything to do with it. And if by some chance you do, I'll turn you into hagus and eat you for dinner." 

They woman merely smiled and licked her lips. Then she turned and began stirring whatever it is she was cooking in her pot. After they all left and she was alone she dipped her finger into the liquid in the pot. She licked her finger and laughed in delight. 

"Hagus made from humans. How interesting." 

Coller was feeling very angry and betrayed. When he had arrived back at camp, the first thing he   
did was to inform the elder's of what he had found in the stone cave. He stressed as much as he could the fact that his instincts told him that they were dealing with a witch. Nevertheless, the elder's ruled in favor of the woman's offer. 

"Damn all your trusting hearts! You haven't met this bitch! You haven't looked into her eyes and   
seen the evil in them. She's a witch I tell you." 

"I will remind you Coller, we have been accused of being witches for a hundred years. Good and powerful magic can sometimes come under the guise of witchery." 

"Aye, and the reverse is true also." 

The oldest of the three elders ran his fingers down his long beard. The other two elders, one on   
either side of the oldest, were whispering into the ear of the oldest. Finally he put up both of his hands to signal that he had heard enough. 

"It is my decision, that we should trust this woman." 

Coller stared in disbelief at the lead elder. To add to that, the other two elders stared as well.   
Their disbelief was suddenly thwarted by a few harsh stares from the lead elders. But it would take more than a stare to calm Coller's rage. Before Coller could even speak, the elder raised his hand to stop him. 

"I know what you are thinking Coller. That is why I wish you could understand, unfortunately I   
cannot explain to you." 

"Explain what? That you want to kill one of your own by sending her to some witch." 

"Coller, I want you to take her. I also want you to take whoever else you think will be necessary   
to guard Gen." 

"I'd rather not take her at all. But if she is to go…I suppose I will take the same group as I did   
before. Kristoff, Luis, and Marco." 

"Not Marco," the elder said. Coller looked at him puzzled. 

"Coller, I am very old and as such have been able to develop my powers as much as I could. I   
have developed them enough so that I can feel the currents of destiny as I would the current of the sea. I am feeling the currents now Coller. They tell me although there is much danger, this is the path we must take. I also know that Marco is not to go with you." 

"He's a good man. Powerful too. I could use him if things don't go right, so I must know why   
I'm weakening my ranks." 

"He has a daughter, Carrie. She is young and I do not wish to risk her growing up without a   
father." 

"Many of these people have daughter's. You have never been shy about risking their lives." 

The elder placed a hand on Coller's shoulder, "trust in me Coller, this is how it should be."   
Coller looked back into the elder's eyes and saw them speak him without any words, "you will not succeed." 

And so Coller gathered up six men from the caravan to take Gen to the woman. Coller, together   
with Kristoff, carried Gen on a stretcher. With three men on either side of them, they made their way back to the cave. Very carefully Coller and Kristoff carried Gen over the marsh. They were even more careful when taking her down the slope, which oddly enough, was no longer slippery. The torches that the wind had blown out were lit once again. Although the corridor was now lit, and the cave no longer seemed as damp, the cave seemed more ominous as ever. When they reached the crone's chamber she was still hunched over the boiling pot. Although Coller couldn't see it, he knew that there was a smile on the woman's face as she welcomed them back. 

"I knew you would return. It is your destiny." 

"Just get it over with hag. Remember that I am watching you." 

"Of course. This way, come this way," she said as she beckoned the group to follow her. She led them to an interior chamber deep in the cave. Inside, the chamber was circular with only a stone slab in the center. The old woman instructed them to place Gen on the slab. It was then that Coller noticed that she had in her hand a gold staff. On the staff, was an image of a bird with a long beak sitting on a blue crystal. After placing Gen on the slab she gestured for everyone to back away. They all did including Coller who only backed away slightly. He was the closest to Gen and had no intent on moving back any further. He felt his pistol, making sure that the hammer on both was correctly pulled all the way back. He had not fired the pistols in years, he hoped they were still in good condition. The old woman began simply to wave her staff in a circular motion over Gen. She did not utter one word, satanic or otherwise. It was the quietest form of witchcraft that Coller had ever seen. For a moment he actually hope that perhaps the witch was helping her. Behind Coller, Kristoff allowed himself to drop against the wall. A cloud of dust   
came from the walls. He turned and saw that under the dust on the stone wall, an image of a pentagram was drawn on it. 

"It is done. She is now as she should be…" 

Lights began to shine from the wall. Kristoff could see that encircling the wall were images of   
the pentagram that were now glowing red. The entire room was filled with a red glow. 

"…a child of darkness. A servant of he who will bring a new order to this world…" 

"Coller!" Kristoff yelled over the sudden sound of the earth shaking. Dust began to fall from the   
ceiling of the chamber. All around the dust collected itself into a tornado encircling Gen. The old woman laughed insanely pointing all time at Gen. Coller stared in disbelief as he saw a sudden change come over Gen. Her skin turned to a pale green as did some of her clothes. Coller watched as she turned into a dark version of herself. "The eyes," Coller thought to himself. The eyes that he loved and that were so alive now had the look of death in them. Suddenly, Gen not only rose from the slab, she floated above it. With the tornado still circling her, Gen outstretched her arms with her hands closed in a fist. When she opened them her hands, the tornado of dust turned into a wave, which sent everyone in the chamber hitting the walls of the chamber. 

"Gen…" Coller muttered from the ground. Kristoff was the first up. With his musket loaded and   
ready, he fired at the witch who was still standing, laughing maniacally. The musket fire had no affect. Coller finally stirred and rose with both pistols blazing. But once again bullets had no affect on the witch. 

"You bitch! You old god forsaken bitch! I'll murder you!" Coller yelled at the witch. Then he   
turned to Gen who now hovered close to Coller. "Please Gen, come back to me, this isn't you," Coller said pleading to her. Her face remained expressionless, and then for a moment, her face seemed puzzled. Gen acted as though a cloud had been put over her mind and she did not know whom she was attacking. Without a word and with only a gesture of the hand, she sent Coller flying out of the chamber and into wall of another. While Kristoff reloaded his musket, the six men from the caravan clapped their hands together in different ways but all ending with the same hand gesture. The effect of these hand gestures was the summons of all the magical energy they could muster from within themselves and channeled into a lightning bolt of magic energy aimed at Gen. The bolt of energy sent seemingly electrical surges of energy racing all over her body. But any form of pain or weakness that the bolts might have caused were hidden behind Gen's expressionless face. The six men, all blood relatives whom had grown up with Gen, stood   
motionless as balls of flame formed at her hands. Luis, her eldest cousin looked into her eyes, "Gen, don't!" 

"I love you Hannah," Kristoff said just before Gen released the fireball at them all. The witch   
stood smiling over Coller's battered body. She used her staff to turn him face up to see her. 

"…will…kill you." 

The woman smiled and glowed at the same time. She glowed with a blue light that almost   
blinded Coller. When the light receded, a different woman stood above, or so it seemed. The wrinkles on the face were gone and the cloak was now a fancy dress fit for a proper English lady. The hair was thin and white. On it sat an equally fancy hat. The pale face brought out the redness of her lips. In her hand was the very same staff the witch had held a moment ago. The empty and evil eyes that had stared at him from behind the wrinkled old face now stared at him from this new one. Behind the witch Gen hovered. 

"What do you think of your love now? A little too feisty perhaps?" 

"er…" 

"She isn't the one I had hoped for though. I apparently miscalculated the years. She isn't the one   
at all, but she will do nicely." The witched turned to the charred remains of the others; "she will do quite nicely." She looked down at Coller again. "Still wondering who I am? I am Actrise. I am the arch-nemesis of the Belmudes! Now after more than a hundred years I not only take my revenge, but I take a descendant of that ungrateful cur!" Then she slammed the end of her staff on Coller's chest. Coller groaned in pain.   
  
"I imagine you wish to take your revenge on me. In fact you made promise to me. You said you   
would make a hagus out of me. I should just kill you. Better still, I should let the woman you love kill you. But I think that things would be so much more interesting with you alive. I shall therefore give you a clue to how you might save your love. We will be leaving now to finish off the rest of the caravan, but if you want your chance to save her, follow us to the foggy lake where the castle of my dark lord sits. Follow us Coller, if you dare." 

Actrise and Gen were suddenly faded from Coller's sight. He did not know if it was due to him   
barely being conscious or from more magical causes. Coller struggled to get himself up from the floor. He had to warn the caravan. Somehow he had to reach them before Actrise and his bewitched love. Coller couldn't but stop for a moment to think on what he had just seen. The woman he loved was cursed, under a spell of some sorts. He had to save her somehow. Half dragging himself, he made his way out of the cave as quickly as his injuries allowed him. He prayed that it be fast enough. 

Jose` stroked the thin hairs of his gray beard. He pondered on his decision to let Gen be taken to   
that witch. It was a terrible and wrong decision and yet he knew somehow, it was what he was meant to do. He had told Coller the truth. The magical ability that he had developed the most was the ability to know which paths to take on the road of life. It was just that this was the first time that he was afraid of what his instincts told him. It is such a dark path that he has set out for his family. The sound of the first explosion did not make him feel any better. He immediately ran out of his tent to see the cause. What he saw he could not believe. Gen Fernandez, a girl that he had watched grow into a beautiful woman, was now hovering over the ground summoning up all her magical power to create balls of fire. Men and women all around camp attempted to fend her off while families ran into the woods, but it was to no avail. 

She was more powerful than anyone in the camp was. All around Jose` watched as good people, family, run for cover from the onslaught of one of their own. Suddenly, Jose` saw Gen take aim at Luis, who was desperately trying to lead his wife and baby away from the onslaught. Instantly Jose` gave every ounce of magical strength into the bolt of energy that he fired into Gen's back. Slowly, Gen turned around to see who had struck her from behind. For a spilt second Jose` shot a glance at Luis who in turn mouthed the words, "thank you." Then Jose` looked defiantly at Gen. She hovered menacingly above Jose` with a look of hate in her eyes that he had never before seen in them. 

"Mi angelito. I forgive you for what you have done. I hope you will forgive me for what I did to   
you." 

Gen fired another fireball without remorse. Jose` was burnt into ashes which blew away with the wind. Gen looked around with a cold stare. She felt absolutely nothing. On the outside it seemed like she had no idea that she had done anything at all. But inside, Gen Fernandez was screaming. "You have done well. Let us leave and prepare for our master's return," Actrise said from behind. Then, as before, together they slowly faded from sight. 

Before Coller even reached the caravan, he stumbled upon Luis, his wife and child, and Hannah   
and her child hiding in the woods not far from camp. He asked them what had happened. Coller scarcely could believe what they told him. His Gen had killed more than half of her own family. The survivors, if there were any, were scattered and running scared.   


* * *

  
Chapter 10: The Villa De Rais   



	11. The Villa De Rais

A bright sun shone down on the foggy lake. As Jeremiah De Rais stood at the entrance of the   
West Bridge wall, a cold ocean breeze came over him. He smiled as he felt the wind almost pushing him. 

In his ears he could hear its echo on his chest he could feel its cool touch. He opened the face of his waistcoat watch and judged that he should head back to the villa now. He smiled one last time at the sight of the sun shining over the horizon and his beautiful ship anchored next to the bridge before he left. Mary would be awake and helping to cook breakfast in the kitchen. Never mind the fact that they had servants that could do it for her, she always had to have a hand in everything. Sometimes he thought that's why he loved her so much. She was so involved with everything around her. The only exception was Jeremiah's digs. She rarely came by the site as she found the ruins very disturbing. He didn't blame her, they are after all a very grim place place with a very grim history. Jeremiah patted the head of his horse and prepared to head home. He looked back and into the wagon. Its contents were the latest batch of artifacts from his   
excavations of the land surrounding the villa. Several years ago, Jeremiah brought his family to this island. With him, he brought his many servants as well as the men and tools to build a villa for his family. 

Some might ask why he would move his family from the quiet and luxurious life they had in England to this supposedly barren and haunted spot. His answer was a simple one. This infamous island was his home. Being the adopted son of a wealthy English family, Jeremiah was a man obsessed with tracing his roots. Eventually he found out his true family was connected to a well-known Wallachian prince. The prince's name was Vlad Dracula or Vlad Tepes, the Impaler. It is a name that in this particular area had quite a dark reputation. Of course Jeremiah never let superstitious nonsense to get in his way. He moved his family to his ancestral seat in the hopes of reclaiming some of his former family's history. With him he had brought his wife Mary and son Henry. Both were totally devoted to him and therefore understood his constant yearning to fill this gap that was inside him. When he and his family arrived on the island, it   
was deserted. The only sign that it was ever inhabited was the large number of ruins scattered throughout the island. In all the years he had lived on the island with his family they had never received any visitors. 

Now Jeremiah breathed very slightly and careful not excite the man who stood before. He never expected to have a pistol aimed at his face so obviously when this mysterious man came down from the trees, Jeremiah was more than a little surprised. 

"Who are you and what are you doing on this island?" The man said through a black and   
overgrown beard. 

"We live here sir. This island is my home." 

"Your home? Where is the castle?" 

"Castle? What do you mean?" 

"This is the foggy lake is it not? The villagers told me this was the one. The one with the island   
where the castle sits. So where is the castle?" 

The Master Oldrey was now intrigued. "There hasn't been a castle here for more than a hundred   
years if my study is right." 

"Study?" 

"Yes. I'm an amateur archeologist. I'm studying the ruins of this castle." 

The man then put his pistol down and actually seated himself next to Master Oldrey. Then he   
began to run his fingers through his beard and think. Oldrey took this opportunity to ask the man his name. 

"My name? Coller, Coller the Hunter." 

"Coller? Well I am Jeremiah Oldrey, master of this island and the villa that sits on it. Now if you promise me to put away your guns then I will take you to it. There you may clean yourself, which you are in dire need of, and you may also tell me your tale. If you say that you are looking for the castle that once stood on this island then I am much interested in your story." 

Coller felt confused. He had not slept in days, weeks even. He needed rest. But he must find the   
castle. He was sure that the castle would be here. Actrise said that it would be here that he would get his chance to save Gen. He put his pistols away. A smile came across Master Oldrey's face. "Take me," Coller said to him. Then, slowly, he drifted into unconsciousness. Oldrey looked at his visitor, "what an extraordinary fellow." Then he continued his way home. The forest surrounding the villa was barely a real forest. It wasn't very thick which made the trail home very easy to make. It took very little time for Oldrey to reach the fenced area, which was the entrance to his villa. The fence went all around the villa, surrounding the garden maze that lay in back of it. The maze was just a way of bringing life back to this desolate island. His servants had spent months planting trees and bushes. It had taken a while but the place eventually began to look like home. The villa itself was a luxurious two-floor mansion. Inside there were enough rooms for all ten servants as well as an archive room, a kitchen, and dinner room. Oldrey rode his wagon through the fenced driveway until he reached the fountain circle. The circle was right in front of the villa and had a large fountain in the center. He stopped the wagon near the steps to the entrance of the villa. Oldrey saw Victor, the gardener, tending to the bushes that grew in the front. 

"Good morning to you Victor," Oldrey said. 

Victor was a very large and muscular man. He had deep set eyes and short dark hair. He wore   
merely green trousers and a brown vest that hid nothing of his brutish strength. His foreboding   
appearance was contrasted by his gentle personality. Anyone who truly knew Victor knew that he wouldn't hurt a fly. He was a former athlete turned timid gardener. 

"Good morning to you Master Oldrey. I believe the Lady Oldrey is awake and expecting you." 

"Thank you Victor. I say could you help me with something. I picked up something on my way   
home, and its quite heavy I'm afraid." 

Victor sheathed his machete and walked towards the wagon. The only indication that he was   
surprised to find Coller sitting in the wagon seat next to Oldrey was a brief pause followed by, "the latest artifact Master Oldrey?" Oldrey merely began laughing. "Have him placed in that guest room that we never thought would ever come into good use," Oldrey instructed. 

Coller awoke to the sound of running water. When he opened his eyes they were blurry and thus   
hid all detail of where he was. He was only able to make out the figure of a woman sitting at his bedside. 

"Gen?" 

"No," the female figure replied. "But if I ever meet this Gen I will assuredly tell her of you   
unrelenting feelings for her. Even in your sleep you did not stop calling her name." 

With his eyes now in focus, Coller could see more clearly the features of the woman sitting next   
to him. She had long brown hair and pale skin. Her accent was every bit the proper English woman. Her blue eyes were intent on making sure the water she was pouring did not spill. Finally she put down the large pitcher of water and offered Coller a glass of water. 

"Please drink. I'm afraid you were quite dehydrated when you stumbled upon my husband." 

Coller took the glass and stared at it for a moment before chugging it down in one gulp. He then   
extended it towards her indicating he wanted more. 

"Thank you…" 

"Mary. Being the very first guest to ever stay with us, you may call me Mary." 

Coller then noticed a pair of eyes looking at him from the very end of the king-sized bed he lay   
in. As soon as he made eye contact a sudden thump was heard. 

"As for the short gentleman lying on the floor. Well that is my son, Henry. Are you all right   
Henry?" The mother asked with tenderly concern. Suddenly a small blond boy jumped from under the bed with a curious look in his face. 

"Are you a vampire?" 

"Henry!" 

"What? Papa said only vampires live on this island." 

"That's quite enough that. You know very well that Mr. Coller here is not a vampire." 

"Could he be a werewolf then? Are you a werewolf Mr. Coller?" 

Coller then said in his most terrifying voice, "yes, and I haven't had a little boy for breakfast in a long time." Coller said it so seriously that even Mary had almost believed it. But when she saw the smile in Coller's face she felt relieved again. 

"Run along now Henry. You have studies to do." 

Henry immediately turned with his hands in his pockets and walked towards the door. Under his   
breath he muttered something along the lines of, "I'll never get to see an ugly monster." 

Mary then turned back to Coller and handed him another glass of water. "Please forgive my son.   
He obviously is not use to having visitors around." 

"Its alright madam." 

"He should know better than that anyway. Vampires are only awake during the night. And   
werewolves are only wolves at night as well." 

Coller looked at her with an odd expression. Mary saw his disturbed look and explained. "What   
would my mother think of me now? Talking of vampires and werewolves. My husband is an expert on the subject. As a result, so is everyone in this villa." 

"What about witches?" 

"I believe he knows about them too. I've asked him not to scare poor Henry with stories. Lucky   
for me Henry isn't scared by any of it." A smile crept onto her face. "By all accounts it should scare me too. Such an 'unladylike' theme I suppose. It's one of the reasons why I love him so. He was never afraid to tell me anything. He never treated me like I was anymore fragile than the next person. That was something quite uncommon in a man. Most of the suitors that my mother wanted me to marry thought I was to hard headed and meddlesome in things that I shouldn't meddle in." 

"To independent." 

"Exactly." 

Coller looked away. He was focused on one of the paintings that hung on the wall. "Gen was like that." 

"Really?" 

Coller didn't smile. He just said in a low tone of voice, "you would have liked her." 

"Liked?" Before Mary could continue he question, the Master Oldrey entered the room. 

"Ah, Mr. Coller. How are you feeling?" 

"Coller will do just fine. I'm not really accustomed to being a 'Mr.'" 

"Coller it is then. How do you feel?" 

"Better, much better. Look, I am sorry for the whole bit with the gun." 

Mary shot a glance at her husband when Coller said the word "gun". Oldrey merely continued   
smiling. 

"It's quite all right. You were delusional. Right now what interests me is the castle." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, you spoke of finding a castle. I was curious as to which one and why you thought it was   
here." 

At this point Mary interceded, "Jeremiah, he's are guest and should rest in bed until he feels   
ready to speak to us on the matter." 

"I'm sorry Mary. She's right, I some times lose my manners." 

"I'm Scottish sir. As far as I am concerned, you English have too many manners as it is. No   
offense." 

"None taken. I'm not really English anyway." 

"Besides sir. I'm feeling quite all right. I'd like to continue on my quest as it were." Coller then   
rose from the bed and began to look for his clothes. "I appreciate the lone of the garments but I'd prefer my own," Coller said referring to clothes he had on. Mary quickly handed him his clothes. 

"I will let you gentlemen talk alone then. I will be downstairs if you need me Jeremiah." 

"Thank you Mary," Oldrey said to his wife as she left the room. It seemed within the split second   
that Oldrey had turned to thank his wife, Coller had literally jumped into his clothes. He now stood before Oldrey with his coat over his shoulders. 

"I thought Coller, I might explain to you first what I am doing here. Then that might help you   
when you tell me your tale." 

"Thank you…um…" 

"Jeremiah will do fine" 

"Jeremiah. I'm actually very curious as to what you are doing on this here island." 

"Well then, allow me to start at the beginning then. My name, as you already know, is Jeremiah   
Oldrey. I am the adopted son of a wealthy English family. I was raised in England but all my life I have been pursued by this unquenchable thirst to know where I truly come from. I loved my adopted parents but I want to know where I came from. Of course when I became old enough I began my studies and found that my heritage lies deep within this province. I moved here with my family because I learned that my family was apparently tied to a family that made it's home here on a castle that once stood on this very island. The family's connection to mine I have yet to discover. It may well be that they are my family or perhaps distant cousins. Nevertheless, they lived here under the rule of Wallachia's most infamous prince, Dracula. I came here in hopes of finding some clue to my family tree. And there you have it. I have dedicated my life to the history of this province. In coming here I knew that the secret to my family's history lies underneath the ruins of the castle." 

"An what have your studies told you." 

"My family is inexplicably linked to this Dracula fellow. In learning all I can about him, I learn   
all I can about my past." 

"Aye. Well then perhaps it is fate that I find you." 

"Oh?" 

"What do you know of witches?" 

"Witches, women who are powerful in the ways of magic? There have been stories of both good   
and evil witches. The good ones were known for their great healing power and their kindness. The evil ones were known for their interference in the lives of mortal beings. They have a never-ending blood feud with good witches." 

"You say they interfere with mortal beings. Does that mean you canne kill them?" 

"Only one skilled in the ways of magic. But that's all superstition of course." 

Coller looked hard at Oldrey. For a moment Oldrey thought that Coller was going to attack him.   
"I came here because a witch by the name of Actrise put a curse on the woman I love. I tell you. All of those stories are true." 

"Actrise?" 

"You know of her?" 

"Vaguely. She was one of the most powerful and oldest of her kind. Evil beyond imagination the   
legends say. Apparently she was nearing the end of her existence and needed the soul of another to replenish hers. The legend says she took two young girls and showed them the ways of magic. She then took the soul of one of them. But when she went to work on the other, the other had learned well and managed to push her off. The two girls had apparently been sisters so obviously the survivor said she would take her revenge. Apparently ever since then, Actrise has had it in for this girl and her descendants in a very personal way. Belmundes or something along those lines." 

Coller looked away and muttered something under his breath. 

"Come and walk with me. I have something to show you." 

"Where are my guns by the way?" 

Oldrey looked at him for a moment. His instincts told him not to trust this stranger. He shouldn't   
risk his family over some stranger with guns. But the man's eyes told a different tale from the dehydrated and delusional actions from before. 

"Under your bed. They will be waiting for you when we return. You have my word." 

Together they walked out of the room and Coller got his first glimpse at where he was. Outside   
the bedroom was a much larger room. It was almost like a hallway Coller thought. There were a number of doors on either side which led to the servant's quarters. Too his right was the main door, which had two very large windows on either side. The room had many candles, which would presumably light the house at night. Coming down the center was a large staircase leading up to the second floor. Hanging from the roof was an extravagant chandelier. Coller was impressed at the luxury of Oldrey's home. 

"Quite a place you have here." 

"Oh you should have seen our house in England." 

"English…" 

"What was that?" 

"Oh nothing, just wondering what it was you wanted me to see." 

Oldrey led him up the stairs. On the second floor were several more doors and quite a few   
paintings. He led Coller to the leftmost door that led into a hallway lit by torches. "This leads us into Mary's little rose garden," Oldrey said. "I won't let her work herself to death in the maze so I let her have this one." The garden at the end of the hallway was in a medium sized room. It was circular with a skylight that allowed light to touch the circular nest of roses in the center of the room. One wall of the room, the side with the windows looking out, had yet another patch of roses. "Peaceful," Coller said. 

Oldrey led him up another flight of stairs, which took them into a hallway. They continued walking down the hallway passing several servants, until it began to turn right. After turning right they entered through the only door. This door led into a room with a long table with books scattered all over it. Sitting in one of the chairs at the table was Henry. He looked up excitedly and immediately jumped at his father. 

"Papa!" 

Oldrey smiled and picked his son up from the ground for a moment before letting him back down. "Getting a little too big for that aren't you. Or am I just getting old?" 

"Your not old Papa. Where are you taking the stranger?" 

"My name is Coller," the hunter said to the young boy. 

"To the archives. I want to show him the result of all my work." 

"Can I come?" 

"What did your mother say to do?" 

Almost whispering Henry said, "to get on with my studies." 

"Well I suppose that frown on your face means that you can spare a few minutes." Henry hugged   
his father upon hearing it. "Only a few minute now." 

"Yes father." 

"Come Coller, now you will see what I have been digging around for." 

Oldrey pulled out a key and opened the door on the far side of the room that led to the archives.   
The archive room was a rather large room with various bookcases on almost every wall. If a wall was not covered with a bookcase then it was a glass case that displayed artifacts of varying shapes and sizes. On one of the tables in the room, the Master Oldrey gestured to a finely covered book. 

"This Coller is a written record of all that you see around you. It is probably the most complete   
record of the surrounding countryside in existence. No one knows this province's history better than I do." 

Coller looked onto one of the others tables. It was littered with various dusty artifacts. "That is   
the latest batch," Oldrey said to him. "I have yet to catalog them." Then Coller felt the tugging of his sleeve. It was Henry. 

"Come Mister Coller, let me show you what I found." Coller was then dragged over to one corner of the archives. On one of the walls inside a window case was an oddly shaped crest, or so it seemed. 

"What is it?" 

Oldrey explained as he walked over, "It is half of some stone crest. The image engraved on it is   
unlike anything I have ever seen." Coller looked at the image and saw it was a face. Although only half of it was there, he could almost swear that he could see the evil in it. Besides being only half the image, the image itself was scratched with something inscribed underneath. 

"I believe that the image engraved on it is Vlad Dracula's. The image though has been scarred   
off on purpose. Why I have no idea." 

"And what of the writing?" 

"I have tried to translate it through several languages but it doesn't make sense in any of them.   
The only one that comes close to meaning anything is in an ancient language, which no one knows where it originated. Legends differ on its origin. Some say it is the language of vampires, although there has never been any evidence that they have a language of their own. If the legends are true then an English vampire should speak English and a Spanish vampire should speak Spanish. Another legend says it is the language of evil, but of course that's ridiculous. After all, how could "evil" have a language of it own?" 

"What does it translate to?" 

"Olrox." 

"That remotely makes sense?" 

"Well I say it remotely makes sense because there is, of course, a legend about a vampire named   
Olrox." 

"How does it go?" 

"Well it's not just one. Basically the legends say that Dracula was almost like the right hand man   
of the devil. But everyone else in the "netherworld" as the call it, was also vying for that position. So apparently Dracula's position in hell was under a constant attack from other less evil fellows who wanted their chance at being the second evilest demon in hell. Olrox was one of them. If I apply the legend to reality I suppose we can assume that perhaps Olrox got control of part of Dracula's castle and therefore put his name on it. In the legends it could be plausible." 

"Why?" 

"Well apparently almost a hundred years ago there was this huge civil war in the underworld.   
Dracula was apparently doing rather badly and all of the sudden all of these aspiring Dracula's started to come from nowhere and take over parts of the castle. All of them thought that they could all do a much better job of ruling the world than Dracula could." 

"And what happened?" 

"No one knows. Soon after the castle just fell apart. I spoke to some village people who claim that their parent told them about that night. Stories about lights in the sky and a second castle coming out of the clouds." 

Coller suddenly felt drawn to somewhere. He looked around and slowly began walking towards   
the table littered with the latest artifacts. He dug through several of the artifacts. Behind him Oldrey and Henry watched. Finally Coller retrieved what he was being drawn to. When Oldrey saw it he immediately knew what it was and slapped his hands together and smiled as he patted Coller on the back. 

"How ever did you now that it was the second half of the crest?" 

"I don't know," Coller said. In his ears he could hear a voice like a whisper. It was Actrise, and   
she was laughing. Suddenly all of the energy in Coller's body was drained from him and he felt limp. He fell to the ground unconscious. 

"Henry, call one of the servants, now!" Oldrey dove down and began to check Coller's condition. 

"Still breathing," he muttered under his breath. Within seconds Henry came rushing back in with several servants. Oldrey gave quick instructions to have him placed back in his bed. As the servants carried him away with Henry straggling behind watching, Oldrey clutched the second half of the crest, "Thank you Coller." 

For several hours Coller lay motionless on his bed. Mary had told her husband of her concern   
that there was something seriously wrong with him. 

"He's not even calling out to that girls name anymore." 

"And what is that supposed to mean Mary?" Oldrey said sitting at a desk in the archives reading   
through various papers in front of him. The two crest halves, now together, lay very close to him. 

"Jeremiah, we have a sick guest and here you are toying with that God awful piece of rock!" 

Still not looking up Oldrey replied calmly, "Coller fell after picking this crest up. I think if I find   
out what the crest is all about we might be a step closer to finding how we can help Coller." 

"Jeremiah A. Oldrey, in all our years of marriage you have never ever let yourself believe in any   
of the superstitions that you study. Why have you all the sudden changed that?" 

"Because my love I think Coller is…I don't know, all I do know is that I sense something is   
wrong here." 

"Well I've asked some of the servants to go to the shore and find a doctor for Coller…" Oldrey   
suddenly looked up from his papers. 

"When did you send them?" 

"Just now, why? Victor is seeing them off now." 

Oldrey jumped from his seat and stormed out of the room and began running down the hall. He   
rushed down the stairs nearly crashing into a servant. Finally he reached the front of the villa and jumped on the first horse he saw and galloped away as fast as the horse would allow. He galloped for what seemed like hours. Oldrey could feel each second as it ticked away and with each second he hoped he was wrong. 

As soon as the island wall came into view he began yelling, "Victor!" When Victor came into view he was standing next to his horse waving. 

"Victor! Stop them!" 

Upon hearing this Victor turned and did as his Master ordered. When Oldrey reached him he got   
off his horse and joined him. "Stop!" they both yelled. 

"It's no good sir. They are already to far away. Why did you want me to stop them?" Victor   
asked. 

A sudden roar filled the air followed by a few short screams. Victor and Oldrey looked at each   
other for a moment. "That's why. Oh God forgive me," Oldrey said. The forest and ocean suddenly became very silent. All they could feel was a great cold breeze coming from within the fog. As Oldrey yelled, "back, get back," a tidal wave of water washed over them. As the water washed over Oldrey he felt something hard hit against his head. After the water receded, Victor picked his master up from the ground. Lying all around where they had fallen were pieces of wood. Victor held back the urge to cry out as he looked at all that was left of a small boat that had carried two friends very dear to him.   


* * *

  
Chapter 11:The Castle Returns   



	12. The Castle Returns

Oldrey had awakened dry in clothes and spirit. Although Mary and Henry were relieved beyond   
imagination Oldrey was quite worried. Coller had meanwhile not awakened. He still lay in his bed frozen in an unnatural sleep. Oldrey was even more worried about that. While he slept Oldrey had dreamt of things that he couldn't believe. There had been a woman beckoning him to act on his suspicions. But when Oldrey returned to the archives and looked at the crest in his hands, he felt his suspicions scare him. 

Nevertheless he heard a voice calling him from beyond. "Son!" It called. Over and over he heard the voice calling him, sometimes by name. He wasted no time in his preparations. Mary and Henry he had instructed to stay in the master bedroom. There he instructed that Coller be moved to so that Mary could watch over him. Oldrey felt that if anything went wrong then God willing Coller would awake and protect his family. The remaining servants he instructed to remain in their quarters. The only exception was Victor whom he asked to accompany him. At that moment Oldrey and Victor stood before the gate of the Garden Maze entrance. Under his arm Oldrey held the crest. 

"Where are we going?" Victor asked. 

"Remember the door that we could never open? I had you arrange the garden to grow around it." 

"Yes sir." 

"Well I think this is key." 

"Are you sure you want to open it?" 

Oldrey opened the gate and said as he walked in, "I think my father is behind the door." Victor   
followed him looking up at the sky asking God to watch over them. Unfortunately, instead of finding a clear blue sky he found a dark blue, almost pitch black, sky with a bright blood red moon. Victor caught up with his master thinking that even on a night such as this a former championship boxer is afraid to be alone. 

Mary soaked the towel again in the bucket of hot water. Coller's forehead was freezing and she   
was attempting to keep him warm. Meanwhile Henry continued to question his mother about his father. 

"When will he be back?" 

"Soon Henry, soon." 

"Where did he go?" 

"He went somewhere with Victor, that's all." 

"Why did he tell everyone to stay in their rooms?" 

"I don't know. Henry be a dear and soak this towel for me." 

"Yes mama." Henry took the towel and soaked it and handed it back to her. "Can I go?" 

"Absolutely not. You have to stay with me." 

"Mama, I'm 12 years old. Almost 13!" 

"I know you're a big man now but I need you her dear. For my sake. For my piece of mind. Do   
you understand? Henry?" Mary froze for a moment when she heard no reply. Then she turned… 

"Henry!" 

Oldrey and Victor stood before the mysteriously locked door. In the past Victor had tried many   
times to open the door. But in all the years he has tried it has never budged an inch. The door itself seemed to be made from solid oak wood but it strength was beyond anything a common door should have. 

Oldrey asked Victor to place one of the crest halves in a depression in the center of the door. "A perfect fit," Oldrey said as the half slid into place. Victor looked up at the darkened sky and then to Oldrey. "Are you sure that you want to do this master?" Oldrey nodded and Victor slowly slid the second half into place. A soft clicking noise was made from within the door. Then Oldrey and Victor jumped at a sudden crack of thunder, which covered the sound of the door creaking open. Beyond the door was darkness but not total. A light could be seen emanating from within. Oldrey slowly crept in despite Victor's whispered warnings. Victor felt the first drops of rain on his head as he watched Oldrey disappear into the doorway. 

He pulled his machete from its sheath and followed the Master Oldrey. 

Inside was a long staircase leading downwards. Oldrey was already halfway down when Victor   
entered. His quickly caught up behind him, his steps echoing throughout. Oldrey shushed him. "What does he expect to find here?" Victor wondered. At the bottom, the staircase opened up into a vast chamber. On the sides of the chamber were bars. Beyond those bars was more darkness. 

"Dungeons," Oldrey said. 

"What?" 

"This the castle dungeon Victor. This is where Vlad Dracula kept his prisoners. These dungeons   
weren't kept occupied too long." 

"Why?" 

"That's why," Oldrey said, pointing towards something that Victor had not noticed standing next   
to him. Human remains hanging and wrapped around a pole. Oldrey inspected the skeletal remains more closely as Victor turned away in disgust. "He impaled most of his enemies and put them on display in order to scare away invading armies. These were left here so that those prisoners who were being held would know their fate. After so many years these remains have almost merged with the pole. The result isn't too appealing. You can still see the twisted faces of anguish on these skulls." Oldrey looked at Victor, "They called him 'Vlad the Impaler' for good reason. Come one, let see what else is here." 

They slowly walked deeper into the dungeon chamber, both not knowing what to make of the   
unusual torches that provided light to the dungeon. Torches with a light purplish flame. Oldrey dared not speculate their origin or how they could have remained alight for so long. Finally an elevated platform came into view. Laying on the platform was a coffin. 

"Sir, there is nothing more for us to find here. We need not go on." Victor pleaded. But his   
pleadings went unheard for Oldrey was listening to something that defied his scientific logic. A voice from what seemed beyond the grave. 

"Son," it said. Oldrey walked up to the platform and blew the dust off the top of the coffin. Under the dust was a gold plate with writing on it. "Master please, whoever is in the coffin is dead and does not want his eternal rest disturbed." 

"I must know Victor!" Then Oldrey read the name aloud, "De Rais." 

Henry hated to leave his mother alone, but he felt that his father needed him more now. He had   
no idea why went straight to the maze but he did. So now he stood in the rain looking for his father in the garden maze. He thought hard about where he might have gone. Then it occurred to him. "That unbreakable door!" Henry thought. He began to run in the direction of the door but suddenly stopped at the sound of a gentle voice. He turned but still did not see where the voice was from. "Follow me." The voice said. Henry didn't want to follow the voice but something about it forced him to. It was a woman's voice. Hypnotic like the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. So Henry did as it said. He followed the invisible voice all over the garden maze until finally he reached the fenced area. It was his mother's other personal garden to which she tended alone. The gate opened of its own accord and Henry walked in. A light shined on a small spot of the garden. Henry knelt and heard the voice say, "dig." 

"Master Oldrey! Jeremiah! We must leave this place! Don't you understand it is evil!" Victor had yelled at Oldrey for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he grabbed Oldrey by the shoulder and dragged him away from the coffin that he had been slouched over for the past five minutes. Slowly he made his way in the direction of the stairs with Oldrey dangling behind, muttering something about his father. 

Then Victor heard a noise. He stopped and looked around but saw nothing. He heard the noise again. This time he recognized it. It was flapping. Again he started to move towards the stairway, this time almost running. He struggled to keep Oldrey on his feet. The sound of thunder echoed through the chamber, as did the flapping. Finally at the bottom of the stairwell Victor stopped in awe. When they had come down, the stairway had been lit by the unnatural light. Now it was completely shrouded in black. But there was something odd. The blackness seemed to be moving and moving towards them. Victor ducked to the ground and brought Oldrey down with him as thousands and thousands of bats came flying down the stairs. But ducking in the ground did not help. The bats picked at Victor in all places. He got up and started to swing his machete, slashing bats left and right. Their blood spilt all over the floor but the bats continued to barrage him. He pushed further and further back into the chamber until finally he tripped and fell onto the stairs of the coffin's platform. Bats suddenly began to grasp at his clothes. Despite all his   
efforts Victor felt himself being pulled off the ground. The bats had him hovering ten feet above. Still Victor swung his machete until he saw Oldrey approaching again. He tried to yell at Oldrey to try and convince him once more but the bats then pulled his arms over his head and he screamed in pain. 

A bat bit his hand and his machete dropped to the ground. Victor finally stopped struggling when another figure emerged from the shadows. 

"Henry! Get out! Get out of here!" But the boy was not listening. The boy listened to the gentle   
voice that had guided him to his father. All he had to do was dig up the old book that the woman had told him about. 

"Hand your father the book Henry. Hand him the Necronomican," said the gentle voice. And so   
Master Oldrey took the book from his son's dirt filled hands and opened the book. Oldrey listened to the other voice. He turned to the page that he said and pronounced the words exactly like the voice did. Soon the ground began to shake. What seemed like a wave of lightning began to emerge from coffin and flow throughout the island. Everything was touched. As it touched Oldrey and Henry the sound of the commanding voices they had heard faded ever so slightly as both the voices laughed. Suddenly Henry turned to his father, alive with question as to what had happened. 

"Papa! All I remember is hearing a voice and I had to what it said or I would never see you   
again! Papa what's happening?" 

"Shush Henry! Let me think. I don't know what has happened either." Oldrey then looked up to   
where Victor sill hovered. "Victor!" 

"Get out sir! Take Henry with you and go!" 

It was then that the lid of the coffin flew open. Oldrey turned to his son, "run Henry! Find your   
mother!" Tears rolled down his cheeks as he protested. 

"No Papa! I'm staying with you!" 

"Please son, go. For me, please go." He looked into his son's eyes one last time. He wiped the   
tears away and turned him around. Tears ran down Oldrey's cheeks as he watched him go. "God protect him," he said under his breath. Now he returned his mind to the task at hand, getting Victor down and getting out of this hellish place alive. Any ridiculous notion that his father might be down here was mysteriously absent from his mind. He picked up his machete and looked up towards Victor. He was about to call to him when suddenly… 

"My son." 

Jeremiah turned slowly to the sound of the mysterious voice. Standing calmly behind him, as   
though this was not the underground dungeon of infamous Vlad Dracula III, was and elderly gentleman dressed in a red velvet suit. His skin was pale and his hair black eyes green like emerald. 

"F…father?" 

"My son," the man said. He slowly put his hands on Jeremiah's face. Then holding his face in his hands he looked around observing his surroundings as though it were the first time he had ever seen them, or perhaps the first time in a long time. "I never believed in a thousand years I would return." He looked up and closed his eyes inhaling the centuries old air of the dungeon. Jeremiah looked into the man's face and then placed his hands over the old man's. The man's hands suddenly went cold. His appearance changed too. He was no longer the elderly gentleman in the clean-cut suit. His skin became gray and suddenly he was dressed in a medieval suit of armor. His whole appearance became something from another time. Jeremiah almost exclaimed loudly but the medieval man clasped his hand over his mouth. 

"Be silent my son, be very silent." Then Jeremiah Oldrey felt a slight pinch in his neck and then   
everything went black. 

Coller woke up to a wailing woman. His vision was blurry and he was disoriented. It toke him a few moments and several hard punches to his back to realize that the woman was Mary Oldrey. He grabbed her hands and tried to calm her but the tears from her eyes continued. 

"Mary what is wrong? How long have I been asleep?" 

"P…please Coller. Henry…" 

"What about Henry?" 

"He's gone!" 

"Where? Where has he gone and where is Jeremiah?" 

Coller couldn't deal with this woman in this state. Unfortunately in all his experience he only   
knew of one way to snap a woman out of this. He slapped her across the face, "get a hold of yourself woman!" She stopped crying but continued to whimper. She clutched her face where Coller had slapped her, "I'm sorry but…it's just that Henry…" 

"I know. I'm sorry too lass. But tell me, where are my guns?" 

"Under the bed." 

Coller found his guns and strapped on his belt. He found his coat on a coat hanger and threw it   
over his shoulder. He turned to Mary who was still sitting on the bed, crying softly. He held his hand out to her, "we will find, but I will need your help." 

"All right," Mary said, taking his hand. 

Together they crept out of the room quietly. Coller pulled one of his pistols from his holster and   
looked down both hallways. He looked at Mary and asked her softly, "where do you think they went?" 

"The maze garden I think. Jeremiah seemed to think that the piece you had picked out had something to do with this door he had never been able to open before." 

"All right then, you lead the way. But I'll go in first, understand?" 

Mary nodded and led Coller down one of the hallways. The third door on the left Mary pointed to and Coller understood that it was his turn now. Coller looked up and down the hallway and then breathed in heavily as he pulled out his second pistol from its holster. Then with one good thrust from his boot his kicked the door open and went flying in. inside the room was a long one with three curtained windows. A few fancy chairs decorated the side opposite the windows. At the end of the room were a few pillars, beyond which was a smaller room with a drawer and two more fancy chairs. The door Coller had kicked open was on the far side of the room opposite the pillared section. Almost immediately next to him was another double door. Mary pointed to the doors and this time slowly opened one of the doubles doors, which creaked open loudly. "The door at the bottom lead to the garden entrance," Mary said pointing to the stairway in front of them. Coller and Mary slowly went down the stairs until finally reaching the door   
that Mary had spoken of. At the foot of the stairs Mary almost shrieked but Coller clasped his hand over her mouth. He whispered to her, "what?" Mary then pointed to a golden armored statue that stood in the corner. 

"That wasn't there before." 

Coller opened the door peeked outside and then gently pushed Mary outside keeping his gun   
aimed at the motionless statue. Outside Coller heard Mary exclaim, "Henry!" Coller turned around to see Mary opening the entrance of the garden maze with a key. Beyond the fenced entrance he could see the familiar figure of Henry running towards his mother. Coller started to move with lightening speed. 

"Mary wait!" 

"Mama!" Henry embraced his mother. There were still tears in his eyes from watching what happened to Victor and having to leave his father alone. "Mama, please we have to go back and save Papa! This old woman told me to dig up this old book and give it to Papa. And these bats flew all over the place and they have Victor hanging…" 

"Shussh, its alright Henry. Everything will be all right. Mr. Coller is going to take of us and together we are going to find your father." Mary wiped the tears away from her child's face and for the first time in what seemed like ages both of them smiled. They hugged each other tightly until Coller broke the loving moment. 

"I'm afraid we won't have to go far, look!" Coller pointed ahead as several figures approached them. One of them was a rusty armor clad warrior, the other was Victor who was being held with both arms behind him by a figure that Coller could not see. The last was someone who looked like Oldrey, only darker. 

"Jeremiah?" 

"Papa?" 

Coller looked into the eyes of the man who was undoubtedly Master Oldrey but knew that   
something had changed him. Then he looked at Henry, "Henry, get out of here." 

"No! its Papa!" 

"Mary that thing is not your husband. Now if you love your son you will go and get him out of here!" 

Mary looked into her son's eyes. Once again they were filled with tears. The eyes told her that   
her son could not bear to leave his parents once more. But Mary knew deep down that he must. "Henry, you must be strong. For me and you father, wherever he is. You must be strong." 

"Mama, I'm not leaving you!" 

"Your not. I will find you all right? You are just going to hide from these bad men for awhile. Then later, when we find you father we will all come and get you. Okay. " Her son merely shook his head left and right never stopping and continually muttering, "no!" 

With a voice raised higher than she had ever had to Mary said finally, "Henry go. If you want to see us all again, go. I swear I will see you again." Henry turned once again. Almost exactly like he had only a few moments ago when his father had told him to do the same. And so Henry ran, he ran as fast as he could to hide and wait. 

"Mary you too, get out of here!" 

"No, I have to know what happened to my husband." 

"Damn it woman! Would you so quickly break the promise you just made to your son?" 

Mary did not answer. Suddenly Coller with his pistols aimed at the approaching figures felt   
something shake beneath him. He looked at Mary who felt the same. The without warning skeletal hands reached out from underneath the ground and grabbed at them. Coller struggled but could not budge them. 

"My wife," a voice said. Mary looked horrified at the source. It was indeed Oldrey. But where once he had a face full of life and hair brown as the earth that he dug up so often, now he had blue gray skin and eyes green like emerald but dead and devoid of life. 

"Jeremiah?" 

Then the armor-clad man spoke. "No! The man that was your husband is no more. There is no   
more Jeremiah Oldrey. From now on he shall take on his true name. The name of his family, Or De Rais." Jeremiah, now Or, did not speak. At this point Coller could see now who was holding Victor, a skeleton. 

Mary screamed at the sight of the undead warrior. Coller was preparing to fire his gun at the armored one when another skeletal hand reached up to grab his hands. The skull warrior was now fully out of the ground as was the one holding Mary. Coller struggled but not too hard. He was biding his time using only half of his true force to keep the illusion of being caught. 

"Who are you black-hearted heathen bastards and where is Gen?" 

The armored one looked perplexed. "Gen?" This made Coller roar as though he had been thrust   
in the heart with a sword. He had come all this way in hope of finding some clue as to where his love was being hidden and the villains didn't even know who she was. 

"Actrise you bitch! I swear to God I'll send you to the devil!" The armored one thrust his armored glove into Coller's chest that made him moan only slightly with physical pain. Then the armored one looked up. 

"Actrise! What do you know of this Gen?" Then as if on cue, Coller heard Actrise's voice riding on the wind. 

"A game my dear Gilles De Rais. You know how I enjoy playing games." 

"Yes. But I wish you wouldn't waste so much time with them. You yourself could have brought me back! But no, you had to use these mortals!" 

"You're among us again aren't you? Then stop complaining." 

The armored one whom Coller now knew as Gilles De Rais then began to move his arms around as though he were testing their strength or as though he had never been in his body before. He walked up to Coller and looked him in the eyes as he spoke. 

"Being a creature of hell for the past thousand years, I'm a little rusty with using my own body. The bones are brittle and the body isn't as strong. Being a vampire has its advantages but the dependence on blood for life can be a nuisance. But we all now there is a solution to that, don't we?" Gilles looked up, "are you done with him witch?" 

"No. Leave him." 

Gilles licked his teeth and then turned away from Coller. Coller then looked up, "you'll never get anything else out of me witch!" 

Actrise suddenly materialized in front of Coller, "I think otherwise Hunter. So long as I have   
your little woman I think you'll jump through what fires I have in store for you." 

"Witches," Gilles muttered. "Could you get on with the damned incantation? My Master does not like to kept waiting!" 

Actrise smiled at Coller and began to speak in the same demonic tongue she had spoken in the   
cavern. Then with that scepter of hers she began to wave her arms in a circular motion. Her eyes closed and she breathed a cloud of smoke from her mouth and nostrils. The cloud then became larger and floated above them. From high in the sky one would be able to see as the cloud enveloped the island. As it swept over the villa, servants and maids began to scream in agony as an unquenchable thirst overcame them and a cloud of darkness came over their vision. Many of them knocked the candles off their holders no longer being able to stand their dim light. Other began to break windows as the image of their distorted faces faded from mirrors. They clawed at themselves with their sharp nails. All over the servants quarters, madness was amuck. In the garden maze Coller and Mary remained unaffected and could almost hear their screams. Then they looked as Victor began to scream in agony himself. But his fate was different from those of the other servants. His skin went dark gray and his eyeballs became black as night. The life   
essence of the friendly gardener was drained from the body until all that was left was a lifeless corpse with the strength of a championship boxer. After the skull warrior released Victor the shaking began. A light almost as bright as the sun shone down upon the island. All them even the skull warriors looked up as a golden vortex opened above them. Gilles and Actrise smiled as the earth shook. Then from all the gold light came a red snake-like creature. It swept all around the island leaving no stone unturned. Slowly from the remains of a long destroyed castle arose another. Wall grew from beneath the earth and surrounded the villa. All around the villa stone, steel, and concrete formed from nothing to become something not from this plane of existence. 

Coller and Mary were awestruck. Or and Victor did not seem affected by their new surroundings, Actrise smiled proudly, and Gilles looked disappointed. Actrise looked at him for a moment. "I like the old one better." 

It's always different you sentimental fool." 

"Yes but there should always be a prominent keep for my prince." 

Actrise looked at him once more, "its there, you just can't see it." Coller took this opportunity to   
show his captors how immobilized he really was. He flipped the skull warrior over his back and into the quarrelling pair and made to knock the skull warrior off Mary so they could escape but Victor stepped in and grabbed him by the neck. His hold was so tight that Coller felt his hands go numb and his guns fell from his hands. He could feel himself becoming lightheaded. With his last ounce of strength he pulled Victor's machete from its sheath. Mary screamed as Coller fell to the ground, Victor's forearm still attached to Coller's neck. Coller quickly grabbed one of his pistols and fired a round right at Victor's heart. The giant boxer stumbled and fell backwards to the ground. Leaping towards him like a tiger was Or De Rais. In mid air Coller shot him, which sent him flying back into one of the grass walls of the maze. 

"Jeremiah!" 

"Mary forget him!" 

Mary looked back at Coller, "I can't, go without me. Find and protect Henry!" Then she knelt   
down next to her husband. Coller had no choice. He shot the last skull warrior that had been guarding Mary and ran. As he ran Gilles rose from the ground and looked at the already standing Actrise. 

"Why wasn't he turned like the others?" 

"I'm not finished with him." 

"And what about the mother and her son?" 

"I want the father to turn them. If he turns them then we can be sure that he is wholly on our side." 

"And the gardener?" 

"He is or was strong in spirit. Now he shall lend us his physical strength. He is more useful as a servant than a vampire." 

"You should have turned the Hunter." 

Actrise watched as Coller faded from sight. "It doesn't matter where he runs to now. It's too late for all of them. The castle has returned, and it is never leaving again."   


* * *

  
Chapter 12: Hamlet People 


	13. Hamlet People

Coller crept cautiously in through the main entrance to the villa, careful not to let his heavy boots   
make their normal loud sound. Cornell calmly slipped in as quiet as a predator on the prowl. Coller did a quick search around the first floor checking for any unwelcome visitors while Cornell examined his surroundings. Coller saw that he was impressed by the lavish style of the home. But he also recognized their shared feeling of being out of place in such a rich atmosphere. 

"Not what you're use to eh?" 

Cornell nodded. 

"Aye," Coller said simply. Cornell then started up the steps of the main stairway, Coller following close behind. "You know where you're going?" 

"I don't where you're the witch might be keeping your love but I do know that Ada's scent is leading methis way. You're welcome to follow me. With any luck our quest will take us on the same path." Cornell turned to see Coller's reaction. 

"I've kind of been deviating from me own quest for awhile. I think…aw hell. All right, I'll stick with that scent your nose is picking up on. You wouldn't last a day without me anyway." 

Cornell smiled and continued going up the stairs. As they reached the door that led to the small rose garden Coller spun around quickly with his pistol drawn. Cornell followed Coller's aim. 

"You heard it?" Cornell asked. 

"Aye," Coller said through grinding teeth. 

"Cooornell…" 

"What?" 

"I didn't say anything." 

Cornell glanced at Coller for a moment and then switched his attention to something moving in   
the gloom. It was then that Coller noticed something about the villa. It was darker. He looked at the windows and saw that the window drapes were drawn. "There's a bloodsucker in here," he whispered. 

"Bloodsucker?" 

"A God damned vampire." 

Then Coller gestured to Cornell to look up. The roof itself seemed to be moving. Then there was   
a sound that at first was just soft and barely noticeable. Now it was unmistakable, flapping combined with breathing. Then suddenly a figure was at the top of the staircase. But he had not risen from the first floor. It seemed more like he had come down from above. Cornell and Coller watched as the figure slowly approached them. Coller trained his pistol at the figure. With so little light Cornell did not finally recognize the figure when he stepped into a pool of light but when his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. 

"Yohan?" 

Coller did not even look at Cornell, "you know him?" 

"Yes, he was a notary in our village outside Veros. But you're alive? Where is everyone else? Do you know where Ada is?" 

"Yes." 

Coller had to hold Cornell back with his free arm and try to keep his other trained on Yohan.   
"Where?" Cornell asked quickly and excitedly. Suddenly the villa was filled with a soft whispering voice. 

But it was not just one voice but more like hundreds speaking as one. All of them were muttering the same phrase over and over again. "The blood of the man-wolf is power…" 

"We are all here Cornell. We have been waiting for you. We need you…" 

"Where is Ada!" Cornell demanded loudly. 

"…your BLOOD!" Then Yohan leaped forward and right into one of Coller's bullets. The momentum sent him flying backwards and Coller felt a sense of déjà vu. Coller then began to drag Cornell through the hallway leading to the rose garden. Using Cornell as a door opener he threw him against the door of the garden. Black silhouettes began to crawl over the walls of the hallway and the rose garden. Coller let off two shots and black shapes shrouded in darkness fell to the ground. Then, just as Coller pushed Cornell backwards through the door behind them, and then leaping back forwards to close it, Cornell glimpsed at almost a dozen faces flying towards them as the door slammed shut. Coller held the door closed with all his force but still claw tipped hands made their way through the corners of the door. Coller shot one of the hands and sent it sliding across the floor. The door then slammed shut again. Cornell quickly grabbed a nearby candle stand and set it against the door and the base of the steps behind them. Coller still leaned on the door and breathed a sign of relief. 

"I'm sorry Coller. But any chance of finding Ada…" 

"I know the feeling Cornell. Just make sure you snap me out it in time when I go crazy." 

Cornell nodded and took a sniff of the air. Then he gestured towards the stairs. Coller slowly   
relieved his weight off of the door keeping his eye on it all the way up the stairs. When Cornell reached the top of the stairs he raised his hand up. 

"Do you hear that?" Cornell asked. 

"Not this time, no." 

"Voices." 

"Aye." 

Cornell once again was over taken by the mere chance that he could be close to finding Ada.   
Cornell made for the nearby door that the voices were emanating from. The door was the very same that Ada's scent was leading to. He rushed through the door not waiting for Coller. The room was darkened just like the rest of the villa but Cornell's eyes had already adjusted to the darkness so the man banging on a door across the room was clear to him. What wasn't clear were the details of his face. Between the darkness and the man being turned around he could not tell if the man was old or young. 

"Mary, I need a drink! I'm so thirsty!" The man bellowed. 

"No! Stay away from me!" 

For a moment Cornell was suspended from what he perceived as reality. Here in the midst of all   
this madness was a man and woman arguing over a simple drink. The man stood a good seven feet away from Cornell. The room was dark but Cornell could make out a small but fancy table set with three chairs to accompany it. In the left corner of the room was an equally luxurious bed. It was there that Ada's scent was concentrated most. In the right corner was the door that the strange man was banging on. Still unaware of Cornell's presence the man continued his tirades against the female voice. 

"Why do you talk to me that way, Mary? I am the lord of this annex and your husband. And I'm telling you I need a drink!" 

The silence seemed to drive the man into a mad frenzy and he banged on the door harder than ever before. 

"Ah, c'mon Mary…" It was then that the stranger noticed Cornell and Cornell realized that Coller had not followed him in. 

"Oh! I didn't see you standing there. The wife and I have a domestic problem we're trying to work out now. I don't know what you want, but could you come back another time?" The man spoke in the most polite manner, which struck Cornell as odd. As he looked back checking for Coller, Cornell finally spoke to the agitated man. 

"I'm looking for a girl by the name of Ada." 

"Ada? I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name." 

"She had to have been brought here. I can still smell her blood." 

"I said I don't know her and I mean it. Anyway, I am thirsty now, so..." Then the man turned slowly and Cornell saw for the first time the man's emerald green eyes. His skin was grayish and all around the man carried himself like a soulless creature. He smiled with the grin of a mad man. "You will do just nicely!" 

Cornell barely had time to prepare for what was undoubtbley a prelude to an attack when he heard Coller's voice bursting through the door. Gun blazing Coller came running through the door. 

"How's about a matching one Jeremiah?" 

Once again Or De Rais felt the burning sensation spread over his chest. It was the second time   
that Coller had shot him and he hissed at him from behind his fangs. Then or De Rais disappeared and in his place was a cloud of mist that spread over Coller, choking him as it went out the door. With the vampire gone Cornell helped Coller up from the floor he had fallen on. 

"This time you could have warned me," Cornell said. 

"Aye, twas my fault this time. But never mind that. I have a good feeling as to who is behind that door." 

Coller led the way and opened the door. Behind the door was another much smaller room with a   
similar table set. On one side was an oak wood drawer and on the far side was a mirror. Hiding behind one of the fancy chairs with an expensive looking vase in her hands was a woman with brown hair wearing a green dress. 

"Mary," Coller said. 

Mary slowly walked towards Coller. When they were only a foot apart she opened up her arms   
and hugged Coller. Coller patted her in the back and merely said, "aye lass, I'm sorry." 

She wiped a few tears away from her cheeks and then put down her vase. "I assume you saw Jeremiah." 

"Aye." 

She turned and looked towards Cornell, "who is he?" 

"A friend lass." Coller looked dismayed. It seemed like years since he had awoken to this same face only it was clean and full of life. After nearly dying at the hands of starvation Coller had believed her to be an angel taking him to a better place to await his Gen. Now she was a tired and frightened woman. Her only wish to have her husband and son returned to her. Cornell could read what Coller was thinking in his mind. This island was more than just an island of lost souls. This was an island that stole people's loved ones and challenged good people to do acts high above what any normal person should have to in any one lifetime. 

"My name is Cornell. I am looking for my sister, Ada." 

"Cornell?" Mary asked as though the name had struck a chord in her mind. Cornell became excited at the sudden expression on Mary's face. She smiled slightly and Cornell was sure that she had been here. 

"Then I have good news for you. She was here. In that bed in the other room she slept." Cornell turned around and went to the bed. He touched the elegant sheets that covered it as though it might connect him to Ada, bring him closer to finding her. Mary and Coller walked into the outer room. 

"I tended to her while she was here. When they brought her she had dirt all over her face and hands. Her clothes were blackened and charred. By the smell on her I assume she was in a fire for sometime. But aside from that she was fine. No bruises or cuts. I dressed her and fixed her hair all nice and proper, for whatever good it will do her. If she is going to face the same devils that took my husband's soul away she might as well look proper." 

"Thank you," Cornell said. 

"It was nothing. She spoke of you. That's how I recognized your name. She knew you would come for her." 

Cornell face was again filled with conviction. So long as Ada never gave up hope then they   
would see each other again. Whatever mysterious purpose they need her for will not come to pass. He would not allow it. Cornell looked back from the bed and saw Mary turning to speak with Coller. 

"Coller, can you help me? I need to find Henry. He is hiding near the entrance to the garden maze. If you take us out the East Gate, we can escape by a secret path through the forest. Please take Henry and me as far as this path. It's all I ask." 

"How do you know that this path still exists? With the castle in place it might have been blocked." 

"I know because when I left Henry hidden I saw that they were letting villagers in through that path." 

"Why didn't they let them in through the main entrance through the castle wall?" Cornell asked. 

"That would be my fault laddie. I had sort of declared the area in front of the villa as my territory. It was a lot safer in front than staying in the villa with all of those bloodsuckers around. That and in the castle wall there were a few things that I used to make me some more bullets. I'm only sorry that I left you hanging in the wind for awhile." 

"It's all right Coller. Believe it or not but at first Jeremiah did not try to turn me. It was only recently that his thirst for blood over took him. That is why I hid Henry." 

"Well Mary, don't worry, Cornell and I will help you find the lad. Then you two can get out of here and let us find the our loved ones." 

Cornell finally entered the conversation after staying silent and observing what they said. "You said they were bringing in villagers through that path." 

"Yes." Then Mary's face became reserved. "I told Ada about it. She seemed sure that they were from your village." 

Cornell thought back to the faces he had glimpsed at flying towards he and Coller. They were   
faces of people from their village. But there was something else. So far all the villagers he had recognized were not from his tribe. "Is it possible they want something with his former man-wolf tribe?" Cornell could not think of a reason why. With the exception of him, all of the powers of the man-wolves were locked away. That could be the explanation. Perhaps this Dracula has found someway to unlock their powers and pervert them to his own use. It might explain the strange aura of energy that had surrounded Ortega. That could explain what turned him to Dracula's side. As for why Ada should be separated from the rest, it could be that Dracula believes that since she is the youngest of the tribe she might be the most powerful. Whatever Dracula's dark plan, Cornell would put a stop to it. 

Together, all three of them slowly crept out of the outer room and into the darkened hallway. Mary led them through the hall while Coller took up the rear. Mary was about to open a door when suddenly they heard the sound of shattering glass. All three spun around looking for the source. Cornell looked at the windows that decorated the side of the hall. Each one had the same stained glass image of a knight on them. None of which were broken. Then Cornell saw movement once again. But it was not in the darkness as before. The movement was slight and barely noticeable. Then suddenly the image of the glass knight in front of them raised its sword and sent it thrashing down almost cutting Cornell across the arm. Mary was awestruck as she saw a bolt of light come out of Cornell's hand and break the glass knight into small pieces. She then surprised even more when two blue-green hands came from no where and pulled her into   
the darkness of ceiling above. She watched Coller and Cornell's battle from above as she was tugged backwards down the hall. 

"Mary!" Coller yelled as he fired two more shots at another oncoming knight. Together Cornell and Coller were about to run after the vampire that had grabbed Mary from above when they heard a voice caution them otherwise. 

"Stay away Coller." Then or De Rais stepped out from the darkness of the hallway. He shielded his eyes slightly from the light that poured from the stained glass. Beside him was Yohan holding Mary's arm behind her back. Or slowly passed a finger down his wife's cheek. She trembled at his cold touch. Then he took his finer away and faced Cornell and Coller. 

"I hope you don't mind but I let in a few friends. I believe the lyconthrope knows most of my brothers and sisters in darkness." Yohan smiled and flexed his fangs, hissing at Cornell and Coller. 

"Let her go Jeremiah. It's till death do you part and you are already." 

"I've never felt so alive in my life! The warmth of someone's life-blood when flowing through my veins! It's the very fabric of life." 

"Wrong," Cornell said, "it's death." 

"Enough of this, my brothers and sisters are thirsty," then he looked at Mary, "as you shall soon be my love." Mary looked away from her husband as he licked her neck. Then slowly he opened his mouth wide and prepared to dig his fangs into her neck. Looking at her neck all Jeremiah could see were her veins. 

All of them throbbing as blood rushed through. The very sight made him drool. Mary cringed as he came closer. Then with all her voice she yelled to Coller and Cornell. 

"Leave me! Continue as planned, that's all I ask!" Then she looked her husband in the eye and he paused for a moment to return her stare. Cornell knew what was going through Coller's mind as he shifted his aim to the right of Or De Rais. Cornell looked into his eyes and hesitated to stop him. He could not believe that Coller could do it. After hearing his tale of the past several years, Cornell could not believe him to be the same cold-hearted hunter he remembered. Then Coller's aim shifted once again towards the left. 

"God forgive me," he muttered, then he said in a loud voice, "Or De Rais!" Jeremiah looked back at Coller. 

"I think you laddies need a bit of sun." Then he fired and destroyed the stained window closest to or DeRais and the other vampires. The light of the sun burned the skin of the vampires. The hallway was suddenly filled with the scent of flesh and smoke came from the vampires across the hall as well as the ones that were hidden above them. The ones from above fell to the ground and crouched in fetal positions as they moaned. Then Coller destroyed the last two windows and that made the vampires on the floor start to melt. Coller and Cornell did not wait to see the final effect or what Or De Rais did as he pulled Mary into the safety of the darkness. Cornell put his hand on Coller's shoulder as he closed the door behind them. 

"There was nothing we could have done." 

Coller did not look at Cornell. He merely went and opened the next door leading to the garden   
staircase and whispered under his breath and through clenched teeth, "remind of that would you? From time to time…" And Cornell knew that he was right. Mary had resigned to her fate. She loved her husband to the end and will continue to wherever lost souls such as theirs go to. 

"It shouldn't be too hard to find him." 

"Why's that?" Coller asked as they both stood before the fenced entrance to the garden maze. 

"There cannot be too many children hiding in there." 

"Ah see you point." 

While Coller reloaded his pistols, Cornell examined the fenced gate. It was sturdy and had a key   
lock on its double doors. Although they did not have a key, Cornell had a very good idea on how to open it. "Ready," he asked aloud. Then he heard the sound of the hammers on Coller's pistols being pulled back. 

"As ever." 

The sound of metal breaking apart was loud and echoed through the maze. As the fenced gates   
slowly screeched open Cornell felt almost as though he were back in the silence of the forest outside the castle. "Hopefully there will be no more skull warriors", thought Cornell. With both pistols pulled out Coller scouted the area like a trained soldier. The garden maze leads in two directions, straight ahead or to the left. Coller gestured for Cornell to follow him saying quietly to him that this is where he last saw Henry run off. As they went further down the left path they passed a wooden door and finally they reached a dead end. Coller walked back and tried to open the wooden door but it was locked. Then Cornell began to sniff the air. 

"I smell a someone." 

"Someone?" 

"A human child. Heading this way, fast." 

Then on cue a small boy came running towards them. At the sight of Cornell Henry stopped for a   
moment. Then Coller came away from the locked door and into Henry's view. 

"Coller!" 

"Henry! Get over here lad!" 

He came running over to them and bent over slightly as he was totally out of breath. As he struggled to get some air back into his lungs he pulled out a set of keys and tried to say something. 

"What is it lad? What's the matter," Coller said as he took the keys. Then they heard it. The sound of large boots hitting hard against the ground. Cornell sniffed the air once more. "Smells like a rotting corpse, and its coming towards us." As a large figure turned the corner and the glint of a machete shined in Coller's eyes, Henry merely said, "Victor." Victor came running towards them with his machete raised for the attack. Coller fired his pistols while Henry took the keys again and fumbled to find the one he was looking for. Cornell prepared to engage in combat when Henry opened the previously locked door and grabbed him by his shirt. 

"Come on stranger, we have to go." Coller fired one more shot and followed the other two through the door. As soon as they were through Henry locked the door and leaned on it for a moment. Then he screamed in pain as the blade of a machete cut him along his right arm. Coller grabbed Henry and Cornell poised himself for an attack. Victor suddenly came crashing through the door. Cornell shielded his eyes as pieces went flying through the air. Then he summoned one of his energy bolts that sent Victor into one of the grass walls. Coller picked up Henry and then he and Cornell made a run for it while Victor struggled to get up. Within a few moments they once again heard the ominous sound of Victor's boots heading after them. 

"We can't keep running from the poor devil," Coller said. Cornell then stopped and looked around the narrow stretch of the maze they were in now. He looked at Coller and said, "stay right there and don't move." Coller shot him a glance. Coller tried to think of one occasion in his life where he was the bait as opposed to being the hunter. 

Victor's large figure once again turned the corner and now he was in the same stretch of the   
maze as his prey. At first he ran but then as he saw Coller standing alone with only Henry in his hands he began to walk slowly and menacingly. He had his machete unsheathed and still stained with Henry's blood and probably some of his own from when Coller had cut of his forearm. Coller thought to chance calling out to Cornell but then thought better of it. Victor suddenly moved his shorter arm as though gesturing it towards Coller, and reminding him that this was his doing. Whatever was walking slowly towards Coller was not the kind-hearted gardener that had tended to this garden maze or played and run around with Henry as a child. It was a dark and twisted devil living in Victor's dead shell. It relished every menacing step it took closer towards Coller and Henry. The man that had cut off his forearm and the little boy that had evaded him for too long. Coller then smiled, as he knew that Victor had totally forgotten about Cornell. He truly wished that Victor's expressionless face had shown some surprise as Cornell leaped from the top of a grass wall and onto Victor's back. With only one long arm that was busy holding a machete, Victor found it impossible to get Cornell off of him. Cornell fired a large bolt of   
energy from both of his hand while he held his head in his hands. The shock sent Victor tumbling   
backwards. Cornell scoffed as he landed on the ground with Victor's motionless shell on top of him. 

"Damn!" Cornell exclaimed. "It's like having the weight of ten men on top of you." 

Coller put Henry down for a moment in order to help him from under Victor. Victor did not move, he did not even bleed from where Coller's bullets had hit him. Both Cornell and Coller figured that he would not get up again any time soon, if ever. Then they turned their attention to the boy who was lying on the ground bleeding. His eyes were closed and the short sleeved shirt he wore underneath his suspenders was stained in blood. 

"God damn it!" Coller yelled loudly. So loud that it echoed through the maze. Coller had become to attached to this family. Coller was beginning to think that lately he was becoming attached to people to easily. First with the Fernandez and now the De Rais or Oldrey or whatever they were. Mother, father, and now apparently son too has succumbed to a terrible end. The weight of this was becoming more than what Coller could hold. Cornell put a hand on Coller's shoulder, "do not grieve yet. There may be something I can do." Then Cornell pulled out from one of his pockets a blue pendant. The same blue pendant that he had recovered from the entrance of his burnt down home. 

"This pendant is very sensitive towards children. When my sister was very young I gave her this pendant. It was protection from the boy man cubs that played too rough." Cornell then placed the pendant around the boys neck. The blue jewel began to glow luminously. From it arose a very light blue cloud that began to slowly work its way to his arm. 

"The wound is deep. The pendant will be able seal the wound but there will be a scar." Cornell's words rung true. Within seconds the bleeding had stopped. Coller took off his heavy overcoat and ripped off a part of the sleeve to soak up the blood that was still fresh on his skin. Underneath the only sign that he had just been slashed with a machete was the long stretch of skin that ran down from his upper arm to a little below his elbow. The scar was a slightly dark color than the rest of his arm and popped out somewhat from under his skin. The scar was like a snake underneath his skin. Henry's eyes opened up wide and his face had a look of slight pain as he tried to move his arm. 

"Try not to move it yet. It needs time." 

He looked at Cornell, "how? How did you…?" 

"Magic." 

Coller laughed for a few moments looking up towards the sky. Then he tapped Cornell and he to looked up. With all the concern over Henry's wound they had not noticed how dark it had become. 

"Damnation!" Coller cursed. 

"Is it me, or are the days on this island shorter than what they should be?" Cornell asked. 

"They are. I noticed it ever since that castle came out of the ground," Henry said. 

"We better get you to wherever it is that we are going to get you too. The vampires will be free to hunt us out in the open now that it is dark," Coller said. 

Henry looked defiantly at Coller. "You're not going to send me away! I'm going with you this time." 

"The hell you are lad. It's to damn dangerous. Your mother told us to…" 

"Where is mama?" 

Coller looked at Cornell who was already looking at him. Cornell knelt down to be at eye level with Henry. He put his hand on Henry's shoulder, "Henry, your mother asked us to take you to the East Gate. There is a path that will take you to the forest." Cornell then showed the pendant to Henry. "This pendant will help guide you away from evil spirits." Henry did not take his eyes off of Cornell. He did not even blink. He finally took his eyes away from Cornell and felt the slightly raised scar going down his arm, and said, "I'm going with you. I won't be left behind this time." 

"It's too dangerous lad." 

"I don't care!" 

Cornell… 

Cornell spun around quickly. He tried to pick out from where the voice had just com from but it   
seemed to be from everywhere. Coller helped Henry to stand up and all three prepared to run. Henry suddenly yelped as a blue-green hand came through the grass wall behind him. It grabbed at his left arm so now he was screaming from pain. Coller grabbed the arm and pulled at it. Eventually a head came through the wall and Coller fired. Now Coller's white shirt was stained in blood, but not his own. Cornell looked at the head that rolled along the ground, "I knew him" Another vampire appeared, this time leaping from behind one of the walls. Cornell grabbed him by his clothes and sent him flying into another grass wall. Then Cornell fired several of his bolts and the vampire disintegrated into a purplish flame, which quickly dissipated. But the vampire's flame was not the only one that was sparked. The wall that Cornell had struck was now on fire. 

"The bright light should buy us time, run!" Cornell yelled and they began to run in a direction away from the burning wall. When they were far enough away from the fire more of the vampire villagers appeared behind them. They scaled the walls of the grass maze effortlessly like spiders. As they ran Cornell being the fastest was leading them followed by Henry and Coller who was going slower in order to keep Henry in front. 

"Turn right!" Henry said as they reached another intersection in the maze. But as Cornell turned the corner a horde of vampires, all of which he recognized were waiting for him hissing and preparing to lunge at him. The sight of so many familiar faces now distorted and twisted made anger swell up in Cornell's stomach. So much that he fired two very large bolts that set the ground between him and the vampires aflame. The vampires staggered back shielding their eyes. Coller and Henry had caught up with Cornell and Coller grabbed Cornell by the sleeve. 

"They are leading us to where they want us to go," Coller said. Cornell did not bother to reply. He knew that he was right. Both Cornell and Coller had known the way of the hunter, only the means and the objective had been different. Coller used his guns and hunted to survive. Cornell had used his teeth and claw to feed. Now they were both falling into a trap that as hunters, had probably used on each other on several occasions. When they reached an oak wood door with an unusual image on it, the vampires suddenly stopped. Henry and the others caught their breath but both Cornell and Coller were prepared in case they should suddenly start to move again. But they did not. They merely stood their hissing and breathing. The hunger they felt was so overwhelming that Cornell could sense their craving. 

"This is it," Henry said looking at the oak wood door. Coller looked back slightly. 

"This is what?" 

"The chamber. The crest that you picked out opened this door. The door where we found the old man, my great grandfather." 

Cornell looked Henry and then at the door. "How do you know he's your great grandfather?" 

"He told me. He's telling me right now. He wants us to come in. Can't you here him?" 

Cornell could here nothing but then he looked at the vampires and he heard something. "Stay. Stay. They are not for you," The voice said. It was in a similar tone as the one that the vampires spoke in. Then he heard another voice, a woman's. Cornell could tell that Coller could hear it as well as his face became filled with anger and he muttered something, "the witch." 

"Come in, come in. Perhaps your sister awaits inside." The woman's voice said. Cornell fought to keep himself under control. Already he had become too impetuous too many times. Now it seemed like it was his turn to keep everyone from losing their senses. Coller and even Henry were suddenly filled with uncontrollable anger. 

"Come on Cornell, we might be reaching the end of our quest after all." Coller was facing the door when he looked at Henry. Then he pulled something out from his boot. Silver and shining in the night light, Henry took Coller's boot knife. "In case someone tries to bite you," he said. 

Cornell grabbed Coller's arm. "Slowly Coller. We don't know what in there." 

"I do." Henry said. Then all of the sudden the vampires were on the move again. Coller kick the door open and pulled Henry in. As Cornell ran in last and Coller closed the door he said, "looks like we haven't a choice." 

A chill ran down Henry's spine as he walked down the long stairway into the underground   
chamber. The last time he had gone down them he was under the influence of an angelic voice. It   
commanded him to dig up a book from the ground in a spot that not even his father had thought to dig. 

That book eventually became his father's downfall. It resurrected his great grandfather, a vampire, who in turn made his father one as well. He clutched the handle of the knife that Coller had given him. All he could think of was how he was going to destroy that monster. 

Coller walked down the steps keeping close to Henry. Henry had seen so many of his family and   
friends killed and turned into monsters that he knew that it was taking its toll on the boy. Coller knew that these experiences would do either three things. One, the sight of his family being killed one by one could crush him emotionally and mentally, but there is no evidence of that. Two, the boy could become a hardened, remorseless, and vengeful man. The third and final possibility, he could grow to be a man before his time. Coller hoped the last would be true. At this point his future was uncertain. There was hope that the knife-wielding boy beside him could act like a mature adult seeking vengeance in a mature way, like Coller. Coller wanted to kill Actrise but he would not let that get in the way of rescuing Gen. In fact now that Coller thought of it, he and the boy have a very similar goal. Cornell's sister hadn't been turned into a vampire or into a mindless killing machine, his chances of finding his sister in one piece were much higher than either one of Coller's or Henry's loved ones. 

The unnatural flames that lit the gloomy chamber were not enough for the three to see who it was   
that was standing in the center of the chamber. The figure stood motionless. When they were about twenty feet away Gilles De Rais's voice suddenly boomed through the chamber. 

"Do you seek death?" They remained silent but Gilles continued. "That is what awaits you if you choose to continue on your hopeless quest." 

"We will never give up. Not until our loved ones are returned to us. By force if necessary!" Cornell said. 

"Preferably by force," Coller added through gritted teeth. 

"You have been warned," Gilles said walking slowly towards them. When he was close enough they could see that he was no longer wearing the armor that Coller and Henry had seen him in previously but in a clean velvet suit. Perfect for any respectable gentleman. Not something one would expect a vampire lunging to grab Cornell by the shoulders to wear. As he grabbed Cornell, Coller and Henry felt themselves being pushed away by a cloud of mist that surrounded Gilles. Cornell meanwhile broke from Gilles' grasp. 

Gilles shot one of his arms out with a fist and Cornell grabbed it with ease. Firmly grabbing his arm he flipped Gilles onto the ground. Still on the ground he fired two of his bolts of energy. Only one of them hit Gilles, which made him curse from the pain. The cloud of mist that surrounded Cornell and Gilles did allow Coller to see who was winning or allow him to participate. Also, from the mist appeared a horde of bats. One went towards Coller the other towards Henry. Coller easily shot the bats one by one. Henry on the hand got one nibbling on his arm, his scarred arm. Henry stabbed it with his knife but more were coming towards him. Coller did not fire afraid that his aim was not good enough to avoid shooting Henry. 

Henry ran and jumped to a nearby wall, grabbing one of the torches that hung from it. The purplish flame burned the bats as Henry waved it around and striking any little critter that came close to him. Coller smiled almost like a proud father. More likely thinking that Henry's father would be proud, if he were still human. 

Cornell threw a hard kick into Gilles De Rais's back, once more sending him kneeling on the   
ground. He stood over him and fired three of his energy bolts. Gilles howled like an animal from the pain and the cloud of mist that had surrounded him disappeared. Cornell looked around glad that he could once more see Coller and Henry. Cornell almost laughed when he saw that Henry was now holding a torch in his hand. "I wonder what happened to them?" he asked himself. Cornell turned his attention back to Gilles who was now staggering backwards. His back was turned to them and they could see as puffs of smoke rose up from where Cornell's bolts had hit him. 

"Tut tut Gilles. Did you really have to take him on by yourself." Coller immediately reacted to the sound of Actrise's voice. "The witch," he muttered. Cornell saw as the grip on his pistols tightened and his teeth began to grind. Then Cornell followed his aim when he suddenly brought his pistols up to a single spot in the chamber. In that spot a figure materialized. It was Actrise. Gilles staggered to her side. 

"Ugh. It's true, he is not a mere man-wolf." 

"Quite a show there, lobo." 

Cornell walked closer. He was becoming wearisome of people who appeared and disappeared when they pleased. And although Coller had mentioned them, this was Cornell's first encounter with these devils and he wanted answers. "Who are you? Where is my sister?" 

"A man of you skills should be able to put up a good fight against Him." 

"We don't have any idea the power of the man-beast's magic," Gilles said clutching the smoking wound on his shoulder. 

"It's so exciting, don't you think?" She suddenly erupted in a loud laughter. Gilles looked at her. His look was one of concern. He believed that this witch was getting into something she was not prepared for. 

Nevertheless, his master had instructed them provide a healthy distraction for the adventurers. Now that they had done so it was time to move on. He would another chance to dance with the lyconthrope and then perhaps the gun toting hunter. Actrise's laugh continued as slowly they faded from Cornell's, Coller's and Henry's sight. 

"Him? The man-beast's magic?" Cornell said to himself quizzically.   
  
"God damn that bitch! I swear to God I'll rip her to pieces!" Coller cursed. Cornell turned around and Coller walked towards him. 

"I tell you Cornell I'm angry. No, I'm god damned furious! I want those bastards!" 

"Calm yourself Coller. Were going to get them but we have to keep our heads clear and focused." 

"To hell with focus! I want heads! Theirs!" 

All the while Henry watched as Coller began to curse over and over again. Cornell tried to keep   
him calm so that they could think of what to do next but the fact was that Cornell was just as angry. Henry meanwhile clung to his knife and looked around the chamber, forgotten by the other two. Although his heart raced as he did so, Henry walked closer to the coffin. Cornell and Coller both turned simultaneously when they heard Henry's yelling. They ran towards him and found him lying against the coffin. He alternated between looking into Coller and Cornell's eyes. "Sorry," he simply said. 

"What is it?" Cornell asked. 

"Oh, nothing. I found a tunnel." 

"Where?" Coller asked. Henry merely pointed above him. The two men then walked closer so that they could see inside the coffin. Inside the coffin there was no body. There was not even a flocked or cloth interior like some coffins. Inside the coffin there was blackness. Cornell and Coller knelt by the coffin and looked into the blackness. Henry in turn got up and looked as well. 

"What's old saying about looking into the abyss," Coller asked himself quietly. 

"Can you see a bottom?" Cornell asked aloud. 

"No." 

"Me neither." 

"Coller, hand me that torch hanging on the wall," Cornell said. Taking the torch Cornell threw it into the coffin. The light from the torch was visible for a few moments, as it seemed to fall further away from them. But suddenly it just faded away. Cornell looked at Coller. 

"What do you think?" 

"Ah think we stand a better chance running at the hoards of vamps outside with nothing but rocks in our hands." 

"Why would this be under a coffin? And why would it open up now?" 

"Henry has a point Coller. I have had the feeling that my progress at least, has been guided. I am being led somewhere. Although they say that they want to stop me, there have been to many hints to the contrary. I think they want me to come after Ada. And at any rate, that witch Actrise does not seem done with you yet. I don't think her intent is to kill us, yet. She and the others only want to control our progress until the time is right." 

"Time for what," Coller demanded. "What the hell do these bastards want from us?" 

"I don't know Coller. Ortega said something about a sacrifice…" 

"Ortega?" 

"He was…" 

Cornell the stopped in mid-sentence. Coller looked at him perplexed for a moment but then he   
understood. Coller could feel his garments tugging at him. He felt as though he were being pulled. Cornell could hear a sudden whistling of wind. But where this wind was coming from he could not tell. Then Henry looked at the torch he was still holding. The flames were waving in the direction of the wind. The pull that they felt, it was coming from the coffin. All three tried to run against it but could not. Coller was the first to slip. Cornell would have tried to help him but he had to grab Henry who could barely move an inch on his own. Coller was digging his nails into the wood of the coffin. He was now halfway inside the coffin. His legs dangled as though he were in the air. He looked down for a moment but all he could was blackness. But the blackness soon faded and he was suddenly looking at a moonlit sky. He had time enough to yell, "what the hell," before he fell in. Cornell was pushing Henry forward but for all his strength he could not get him far enough away to escape. Finally his strength gave way and Cornell flew into the coffin, not even having the chance to grab hold like Coller. Henry flew as well but managed to   
grab hold at the last minute. He held on as long as he could but eventually he too disappeared into the coffin. 

When the wind receded into the coffin the chamber was filled with silence. Silence until the   
entrance crept open. Mindless, thirsty vampires came in from the dark night and walked towards the coffin. They sniffed at the air and delighted at the mere hint of human blood that was in the room. For a moment the hoard stared at the empty coffin now filled with blackness once more and pondered jumping in. Such was their thirst that they would blindly follow the scent of their drink. But as the first vampire made its move the tunnel that had revealed itself to Henry closed and the vampire jumped and struck the hard oak wood of the coffin's underside. Suddenly the silence that filled the chamber was replaced by the laughter of a woman. 

"Like mice," Actrise said. Her game was being well played.   


* * *

  
Chapter 13: The Outer Wall 


	14. The Outer Wall

Henry laughed as he flew threw the air. He is five years old and his father is throwing him into   
the air. He cannot help but laugh as his arms and legs dangle freely in the air. When his mother tells his father that he as had enough excitement his father puts him down. No longer able to fly through the air himself Henry lies down on the bright green grass and stares up at the sky. He watches as a bird soars above them and ponders what it must be like to fly everyday of your life. He closes his eyes and takes in the fresh air. 

"Henry darling!" His mother calls to him. 

"Lunch is ready!" His father yells soon after. 

Henry is remembering. He knows this day for it is a day that will always ring loud in his   
memory. This was his last day in England. This was the last day before the cloud of darkness would come. Everyday after this day his father would search for something that he lost many years ago. He lost his name. 

"De Rais," a voice whispers in the wind. Henry sits up. His father and mother sit at a small table for three. A man is serving them drinks. An old man. He no longer wears the armor that he had before. He wears a brown suit much like the one his father is wearing. The old man looks from his father to his mother and then back again. He raises his pitcher and fills their glasses. Red pours from the pitcher. It looks like it could be wine but he knows it isn't. His parents raise their glasses and make as to toast to Henry. 

"No!" Henry yells. "Don't drink!" 

"Your name is De Rais" 

"No it's not! Don't drink Papa! Don't drink Mama!" 

"Your name IS De Rais" 

Henry was dreaming. He knew it as he watched his parents drink. "My name is Henry De Rais," he said almost not believing his own voice. Henry opened his eyes slowly. He had the same sensation of flying as he did that day, but he was not laughing. Henry was now screaming. He looked downwards and found that there was nothing below him but clouds. The sight of what was above him made him scream even more. 

Henry's shoulders pained slightly from the giant raven's feet that clutched him but seeing the face of a beautiful woman attached to a raven's body overcame his slight discomfort. As he continued to scream the beautiful brunette woman looked at him. 

"sshhhh," the harpy whispered and Henry stopped his screaming. Henry looked to his left and saw a huge wall that seemed to span forever upwards and downwards. But the harpy screeched into the wind as it flew higher and higher until finally Henry saw a place where wall reached its summit. The harpy let Henry go atop of a square shaped tower. Henry looked around the rooftop and saw that each corner had a statue of a bat. On the sides of the tower, metal slabs moved in and out of the walls intermittently. Henry now looked at the harpy, which had landed several feet away from him. Henry felt around in his pockets searching for his knife but he must have lost it he thought. Then he noticed that the harpy had something shiny in its mouth. She threw it and it landed at Henry's feet. Henry picked up the knife Coller had given him from the floor. He knew what this meant. This harpy meant him no harm. He recognized what she was from his father's studies. 

"Thank you, madam." 

The harpy chuckled. It began to speak to Henry, at first in a raven's cries but soon those cries   
melted into English. "That was very proper of you," it said in the most delicate voice Henry had heard in a while. 

"I had a boy like you. He was younger though." 

"You had a son? Like me? But…" 

The harpy smiled once more. "You don't think I was always like this, do you?" 

"Well, I don't know." Then Henry heard other screeches like the one this harpy had made. But   
the ones he heard were further away. "What was that?" Henry asked her. 

"My fellow sisters." 

"Sisters?" 

"Oh, were not really related. At least not in the usual sense you understand? We were all human   
once, you know? But we all made mistakes. Big mistakes which we have had to pay for." 

"Mistakes? What kind of mistakes could you possibly make to end up like that?" 

"Oh you don't think I look good? I think I make a wonderful harpy. But I understand what you   
mean. They are prostitutes, cheaters, and baby killers mostly. They are women who are just angry at men or at the world." 

"Where are we? What is this place?" 

"Generally speaking you in the castle Dracula. Specifically you are standing on top of the   
execution tower." 

Henry looked at her gravely when she said execution. In fact the came a silence between them   
that was broken by the muffled screams of people. Henry could only imagine what horrors might be under his feet. "Where are my friends?" Henry asked. Then he heard through the screams, gun fire. 

"That will be them now. I'm afraid that not all my sister are as understanding as I am."   


Cornell fought the pain as the harpy glided closely to the surface with him on the bottom. His   
back was rubbing hard against the concrete surface of the tower they were on. Cornell fought to break the harpy's grip on his shoulders. Finally he just punched the pretty female face in the jaw. The harpy released him but he continued to slide against the ground. With a sudden flash of light Cornell was now in his wolf form and digging his claws into the roof of the tower. He slowly skidded to a halt. He got up and looked across to where he could see shots being fired. Coller was standing on the top of yet another tower or building. He stood in the center and was firing at a very large harpy that was circling him. Cornell did not even have to measure the distance between him and the other building to know that it was too far to jump. Luckily the side of the tower he was on sloped downwards. He thought that hopefully the slope would take him closer. Cornell slid down the side of the tower until he landed on a circular metal platform. Upon hitting the floor of this platform it began to move. To Cornell's amazement it floated above the skies. When Cornell was over the building where Coller was he jumped. But he timed his jump   
so that he would land on the large harpy that still circled Coller. Cornell felt air rush by him as he fell. The harpy proved to fast but Cornell managed scrape its wing with his claw. The harpy screeched in pain. Cornell finally hit the hard surface of the rooftop. "Where have you been?" Coller said as he rushed to his side and helped Cornell up. 

"Around, how about you? Have you seen Henry?" 

"No," Coller said through clenched teeth. Cornell knew how Coller felt. He soon began to fire bolts of energy at the harpy but it just continued to fly around menacingly flying only somewhat lower because of Cornell's attack. Eventually more harpies joined the fight and soon Coller found himself out of bullets. 

Cornell tried to give him cover while he reloaded but one of them flew behind Coller and grabbed him up by the shoulders. Cornell watched as Coller and the harpy fly away. 

"Coller," he yelled. It was no good. Coller and the harpy were too far away. The large harpy then began to focus on Cornell. It made a dive for him and grabbed him. It then soared higher and higher. For moment Cornell began to feel it hard to breathe but the harpy continued up. Cornell was beginning to lose consciousness when he fired a bolt at the harpy. The harpy erupted into flames and Cornell felt himself beginning to fall.   


Coller fought with the harpy's legs to try and reach at least one bullet from his pouch. But Coller   
had to be careful. One false move and all his bullets would fly out of his pouch. He had only managed to hold onto one of his guns. The other was still lying on the rooftop with Cornell. Coller clenched his teeth in pain as the harpy tightened it's grip. He could feel as its toes began to dig into his shoulder. Coller finally stretched his arm out roughly forcing the harpy's pointy toes in further into his shoulder. Nevertheless he managed to grab hold of a bullet. Sweating from the intense pain from his shoulder Coller slowly put the single bullet into the chamber. The harpy subtlety changed its direction and began to fly towards a window of one of the large towers. Coller quickly realized what it's plan was. It was going to throw him through the window. Coller turned his head up towards the harpy and pressed his gun against the chin of the enchanting female face. 

"You don't get rid of me that easy, bitch with wings," he said pulling the trigger. The astonished look on the harpy's face almost made Coller smile. But then Coller's face soon became just as terrified when he felt the pull of gravity tugging at both of their bodies. Coller tried to release himself from the deathly grip of the harpy but its sharp toe was still dug deep into his shoulder. Coller looked down, as the momentum of the harpy's flight was still enough to get him to the window. Coller closed his eyes and braced himself for what he hoped would be sharp pieces of glass.   


Cornell was feeling cold as he fell back towards the earth. He was so light headed. He fought to   
keep his eyes open but he was still recovering from the lack of air. Clouds flew past him as he descended. Soon he saw what looked like his final resting-place, the rooftop of one of the castle's towers. Cornell refused to believe that would be his fate. But the freezing air was getting to him. No matter how hard he fought his eyes were closing. 

"Must…think…save…Ada…" 

Then Cornell felt the impact. He felt a sudden pain in his chest and he grabbed at it. He was still cold but no longer did he feel the icy breeze that he did before. Cornell opened his eyes and saw a human figure. Then his head struck the soft back of the harpy he was lying on. When next he opened his eyes, it was too the concerned face of Henry. 

"Henry," Cornell muttered. Henry helped Cornell to lift his head up. Cornell looked around slowly to see where he was. Once again he was on a tower. If it was the same one he could not tell from his position. He turned back to Henry and to the figure stand hunchback behind him. A beautiful brunette with cropped down looking back and forth from Henry to Cornell. Cornell was so tired that he didn't even have the strength to look surprised. 

"Who is your new found friend?" 

"Melinda," the harpy said with a smiling face. "I saved your life." 

"Coller…" 

"We can't find him. Where do you think he is?" Henry asked. 

"Harpy took him away." 

"I noticed a broken window on the outside the ruined tower," Melinda said. "Could be your friend or it could just be natural." 

"What ruined tower?" Cornell asked. 

"It is an infected part of the castle. I'm afraid if your friend is in there he won't survive." 

"Why? What do you mean infected?" Cornell demanded as he stood himself up. 

Melinda made an annoyed expression with her face and prepared to explain. "The tower is a section left over from the last time the castle was here on earth. The section is infected or, how shall I put it, not under the castle's control. You see this castle is a living being. It is a creature born out of chaos. It takes on many shapes and acts as an obstacle course for any whom would try to attack Dracula. It also acts as a nexus to another dimension. A portal to the Netherworld where Dracula rest every hundred years or so. Sometimes other beings that do not serve Dracula come through and take over parts of the castle. They infect it with their presence. The ruined tower is such a section. It was taken over by Galamoth, a very powerful being who has a feud with Dracula. So now that the castle has returned it is doing away with the entrance he used last time to enter this world. Even as we speak the tower is falling in on itself." 

"There has to be something we can do. We have to see if we can save Coller." 

Melinda shook her head. "Cannot be done. I tell you honestly, your friend is dead."   


* * *

  
Chapter 14: Endgame 


	15. Endgame

Coller felt as sharp pieces of glass cut him all over his body. Even worse was the pain as he felt   
himself being dragged by the momentum of the dead harpy's corpse with its sharp toe still dug into his shoulder. He felt the wound break open as he slid on the floor. His eyes were filled with read. Coller could not believe that it was his blood that was on his face. Finally he stopped sliding. Coller lay still for a moment. He waited until the pain subsided a little but it didn't. Finally he just ripped himself away from the harpy. He clutched his shoulder and cried out in pain. The chamber in which he had flown into was filled with every curse known to the Scotsman. Coller rolled on the floor not caring where he was. When he could mange, Coller kicked the harpy's corpse. He managed to stand himself and cursed twice as much. Coller cursed until he was out of breath and cursing aloud stopped helping and started to make it hurt more. He ripped one of his sleeves and did his best to tie it on his shoulder. He leaned against a wall   
and hit his head hard against the wall. He screamed again as his head ached from hitting the wall. He turned and finally began to take note of his surroundings. The wall was made from a sort of clay stone. 

The chamber was darkly lit. The color of the walls was a shade of gold. The chamber he was in was a round one plain with no markings anywhere. All it had was the window he had come through and three doors. Coller felt his head for a moment and began to approach one of the doors. As he walked away towards the door he passed the dead harpy. He kicked it once more and flipped it over. Underneath it he found his only pistol. He picked it up and reloaded it. As he reloaded he felt a slight tremble. He looked around and saw dust particles falling from the ceiling. He looked out where the window was and suddenly felt an odd sensation. For a moment it seemed like the whole tower was sinking. He saw as clouds floated up towards the sky. But then he thought, "are they going up or am I going…" Coller Put his pistol in its holster and ran towards the nearest door. 

"Oh shit!" 

Coller felt something sharp cut at his bad arm. He fell to the ground and began to curse again. As he looked up to see what had cut him more blood sprouted out from his left arm. Glinting in the light of the torches on the wall was a sharp metal spike sticking out from the floor. Coller nearly cursed again as another sprouted a half-inch away from his face. He quickly got up again ignoring the enormous in his arm and began to run. He did his best not to jump back when a spike popped up in front of him. Behind him walls blew to pieces and he felt the small chunks hit his back. He slammed into the door at the other end of the spiked room continued running. The floor behind him slowly began to crumble, as did the floor ahead of him. Coller leaped through yet another door and fell flat the stone floor. He struggled to get up quickly but felt a moment of relief the ground behind him stopped crumbling. But then a bigger danger became apparent. Coller looked up as a huge pillar was falling from above. Coller ran once again and the pillar came crashing through the walkway he was running on. The chamber he was in now was high beyond his eye could see. Coller could not see a ceiling above or a floor below. It seemed to be endless in   
both directions. The chamber was comprised of pillars, which towered above him and walkways, which led all around a giant statue that stood in the center of the chamber. The statue was of a woman but Coller did not have time to exercise his artistic side. He continued to run and run looking for a way out. Part of a walkway from above fell and destroyed the path ahead of him and Coller was forced to jump. Coller came short and managed to grab hold with his right arm. Coller clenched his teeth as he raised his bloodied left arm to help himself up. Coller tried to pull himself up but the pain was too much. He lost his grip and he began to fall. Coller landed on stone and he felt himself beginning to let go. He began to mutter about Gen and about how sorry he was. He looked up and saw a light. He raised his head and put a hand to block the   
light. Coller got to his feet and began to walk towards the light. Coller walked ignoring the chunks of stone that were hitting up and did not even realize that he was going up a flight of steps. When Coller was in the light he fainted and fell to the ground. The last thing he heard was the sound of the gears turning as the elevator began to go down. 

"Coller," he heard Gen say. 

"Gen!" 

"My darling Scotsman…" 

"Gen… Am I dead?" 

"Far from it." 

Coller opened his eyes and saw the smiling face of Actrise. He growled and made to grab her by   
the throat. Despite ignoring the pain from his arm Coller could not close his hands around her neck. The chains holding his arms were not long enough. Actrise smiled and looked at his hands as they continued to try and stretch. Actrise merely continued smiling. 

"Where is Gen you heathen bastards?!" 

Actrise's face suddenly went grim as she looked away from Coller. Coller looked up. All he could see was a dark brown ceiling and a chandelier. Then he heard the voice. It was deep somewhat raggedy and ancient. He spoke a form of Wallachian that was slightly different form what Coller knew. But it was similar enough so that he could understand. 

"Enough of this Actrise. You can play your games when you are not in my service." 

"Forgive me…" 

"Don't let me catch you again. Or else." 

The man's face finally came into view. His face was gray colored. Scars and wrinkles filled his   
face and his breath was like a rotten corpse. His eyes were red and inspected him like as though he were an insect. 

"What is your name?" 

"Coller. Who the hell are you?" 

"Vlad Dracula, prince of Wallachia. Why are you in my castle? What game has Actrise made you a part of?" 

"Gen Fernandez. That bitch twisted her soul. She put some kinda curse that made her do things…" 

Dracula looked away from Coller, presumably at Actrise. "Who is she?" 

"The Belmundes warrior," she said. 

"Ah, I see." Dracula turned back to Coller. "We've met." 

"Where is she?!" 

"Awaiting my commands." Coller growled at him. Dracula moved out of his view and all Coller could hear was his voice. "She is lover is she not?" Coller did not respond. "Believe as you will but I know what it is like to love. But I also know what it is like to have that love taken away." 

"Then let me have her back. Free her or I swear…" 

"You can do nothing! You are not from this land. You do not belong here and yet you have allowed yourself to wander into the affairs of my land." 

"Your land? Lissen you rotting piece of shit. It looks to me like you have been dead for the past hundred years. From what Jeremiah Oldrey told me this castle hasn't been up for almost that long. Don't give me a sack of lies like that. I don't believe a word of it." 

"I am the rightful ruler of this land. I will rule it again and the whole world shall tremble at the name of Dracula!" Dracula then lowered his voice. "You are brave for coming here. And as I said, I know what a powerful motivator love can be. But I cannot forget that you are a trespasser not only in my castle but also in my land. For that you must pay a price. You will not die Coller. I will give you the same opportunity as your love. You will serve me." 

"Never you sons of whores! I'll murder every last one of ye!" Coller continued to curse at him. Suddenly Dracula raised his arm up. Coller was lying on a stone slab. But the stone it was made of was not any stone. It radiated with a red glow, as did Coller's body. Actrise stared in awe as she watched Coller's body convulse. "Endgame," she whispered. Blood began to spread all over the stone table until it touched the floor. Then as quickly as it had spread, the blood began to go back. Coller's body seemed to soak it in. The red glare became so bright even Actrise turned away. When she looked back, Coller the hunter was gone. In his place was a lizard the size of a man. It's red eyes glared at the two that stood before him. It fought the chains that bound him down to the stone table. It's long tongue flapped in all directions and it hissed loudly at them. Finally it spoke, the strong Scottish accent totally gone. 

"What haaave you done to meee…?" 

"Today is the start of your new life, Coller." Dracula said without a hint of remorse or sympathy. 

"Nooo!" Coller roared. But his was no longer the roar of a man who had lost everything, but that of an animal. His scream echoed through the dark halls of the castle. Actrise hid her smile as she turned away from Dracula and Coller. 

"The game begins again."   


* * *

  
Back to the Lounge 


	16. Art Tower

"This one?" Cornell asked. Looking back at Melinda he saw her nod her head. Cornell looked   
down at the square block that his foot was hanging over. It looked just like all the other square blocks on the roof of the tower except, according to Melinda, it opened the large metal opening that led into the tower. Cornell dropped his foot and the block began to sink into the roof. A few moments later, the giant metal square lying flush with the rest of the roof began to slide open. As it slid open Cornell look down into the opening. It seemed like a long way down. Melinda saw what he was thinking and reassured him. 

"Don't worry, I'll fly you down." 

"Cornell, I still want to come with you," Henry insisted. 

"No Henry! I've heard enough and seen enough. I won't have anyone else's death on my conscience. Least of all yours." 

"I've come this far!" 

Cornell turned to Henry. He knelt down and looked directly into his eyes. "Henry, your mother sacrificed all so that she might live. Coller stopped his quest to find his love to search for you. Would you have their sacrifices be for nothing? If you don't make it out of here then that is what their sacrifices were for, nothing." 

Henry looked away. Melinda put a wing on Henry's shoulder. "He's right. I am risking my own life to help you. I let my own child down when I was human. I will not fail another." 

"Alright, I'll go." 

Cornell looked back at Melinda. "You are sure about these three jewels?" 

"Yes. Hell Knights guard the art tower. They are under the command of this eccentric vampire that lives only for art. He told a few other harpies and me about it while we were looking around in there. He loves to brag about his collection, he's a real talker." 

"All right then. Take us down." Then both Henry and Cornell mounted on Melinda's back and prepared for the dive. Melinda grunted for a moment then took a few steps back before starting her charge. Then suddenly they were falling again only this time they were under control. Melinda spread her wings and controlled the speed of their descent so that it would not be so fast. As they went down Cornell looked at Henry who was seated in front of him. He knew that he was angry. He could understand what he was feeling. The reason Cornell had been quick to accept Melinda as an ally was because of her insistence to get Henry out of the castle. That was something that now meant much more to Cornell. The loss of Coller to these demons was too much. Cornell had let Henry's mother die. He knew that that is what she wanted but that did not make it the right decision. Now he had let Coller down as well. He should have forced   
Melinda to take him to the take him to the ruined tower but he did not. He would like to think that is what Coller wanted, not to worry about him but to focus on getting the boy out. Now Melinda had given him a way. She said that she knew of these three jewels with magical powers. One of which was the ability to transport people to far off places. This was the jewel they were after. Cornell planned to use this jewel to send Henry somewhere safe where he could wait for him. This would avert having to go all the way back to where he had started which at this point seemed impossible. Getting this jewel seemed the easiest, quickest and safest way to get Henry out of here. As they reached the end of the tunnel that led downward Cornell saw a light up ahead. Finally they touched ground. Cornell looked around felt an uneasiness come over him. The art tower was very large and therefore meant that the chambers within had very high   
ceilings. Unlike some parts of the castle, this tower had marble walls. Each wall was comprised of arches, which were sometimes archways that led into other rooms. The floor was a blue and white marble as opposed to the gray and white, which made up the walls. Running down that center of the chamber they were in was a blood red carpet. Also running down the center are two sculptures standing on tan colored bases. Under each marble arch is a large painting. 

"Very elegant," Cornell said. 

"Isn't it?" Melinda said with some pride in her tone. "Remember that my employer is a prince. As such his castle must be kingly." 

"I hadn't noticed. I was too preoccupied with vampires and hellish creatures." Melinda pretended not to hear. Cornell turned to Henry. "Henry, I want you to have something." Then Cornell pulled something from in back of him. Henry's hand reached out for Coller's shiny metal pistol. He took it in his hand looked at it as though it were a toy and then looked at Cornell. 

"I can't." 

"It's yours Henry. He would have wanted you to have protection. He managed to load it fully. They are six bullets so make them count and save them for a last resort." 

Henry took it and put it in his pocket. Together they began walking until from the gloom ahead of them came a clanking sound. The gold armor they wore did not shine with so little light in the room. But the shape of Hell Knights was unmistakable to Melinda. Cornell could see two of them slowly coming towards them. "Stay here," he said as he went running towards them. He let loose one of his energy bolts and sent the first one staggering backwards but not to the floor. He was still in the game. The second one lunged at him with a large sword. Cornell jumped and fired again. This time the Hell Knight went to the floor. The second one was once again heading towards him. This one carried a long staff with a blade at the end. It made its first thrust and missed Cornell's right rib by an inch. Cornell grabbed the end of it to try and use it against the Knight but it was too strong. The Hell Knight picked Cornell up as he grabbed the staff and   
threw him over his shoulder. Cornell hit a nearby wall. The Knight proceeded to walk towards Henry and Melinda. Melinda pushed Henry in back of her and shrieked at the approaching Knight. It gave no sign of being impressed. The Knight merely grabbed her by the neck and picked her up. Melinda flapped her wings hysterically. Henry jumped onto the Knight's arm and attempted to bring her down but the Knight held both their weights. Then Cornell jumped out of nowhere and onto the Knight's back. He fired once more and the bolt tore the Knight's arm off. The chamber was suddenly filled with a loud and inhuman moan. The Hell Knight began to shake and a light began to shine from where his arm was. Suddenly Cornell and the other witnessed as a ghostly creature emerged from the Hell Knight's armor and evaporated into nothingness. With it went the inhuman moan. Cornell ran to Melinda and helped Henry remove the arm, which was still clinging to her neck. 

"Do they always do that when they die?" Cornell asked. 

"I think you're the first to actually do that," Melinda replied as she caught her breath. 

"Cornell! We have company." Henry exclaimed. Cornell turned and saw that the huge wooden that had been across the chamber now opened. From them entered a small figure dressed entirely in black. His hair was white and his skin grayish and dead. "This was the vampire that Melinda had spoken of", Cornell thought. He walked slowly towards them and stopped next to the second Hell Knight, which had managed to stand itself up. 

"What do you want?" he said. 

"I have heard that you possess a set of three jewels. One of those jewels can transport a person to any place they wish." 

"Yes. I know them. Why?" 

"I want one. I want to send this boy somewhere safe." 

The vampire walked towards them. Cornell readied himself for the vampire to attack but he did not. He left the Hell Knight behind and stopped a few feet away from them. He looked at Henry for a few moments and then he looked at Melinda. Cornell was already suspicious. 

"You serve Dracula, correct?" Cornell asked. 

"Yes," the vampire said now looking at Cornell. 

"What need does Dracula have to keep this boy here? Let me send this boy somewhere safe and as a reward, I will let you take me to Dracula." 

Henry grabbed at Cornell's arm. "No! Cornell no!" Cornell pushed him into Melinda's wings. Melinda held him and whispered in his ear, "Let him do this, Henry." The vampire looked at Cornell and then at Henry once more. He turned around and seemed to consider the offer and then began to walk away. 

"Follow me then. I will take you to the jewels." 

Cornell shot a glance at Henry and Melinda. Both of them nodded. They would have to be careful. It was very unlikely that it would be this easy. So together they began walking towards the wooden doors that the vampire had come in through. He and the Hell Knight walked ahead of them. This made things even more curious Cornell thought. "Why would he let the Hell Knight walk ahead of them?" Like one large procession they entered the adjoining room. Inside, the room was much smaller than the previous one but still somewhat long. The walls were the same but lacked the large arches that the other had. Also, instead of paintings, the walls were filled with weapons. The weapons were swords and staffs exactly like the ones that the Hell Knights carried. As Cornell and the other reached the center of the room, the vampire and Hell Knight reached the end where there was another wooden door. The vampire turned and stopped.   
Cornell braced himself. This was it. Cornell spun around quickly as he heard Melinda shriek but not like before. Henry stood frozen in shock as one of the swords from the wall was now coming out of Melinda's chest. 

"Melinda!" Henry yelled as blood came dripping out of her mouth. 

"She is a traitor to our Prince Dracula! She was doomed to die." The vampire said pointing at Melinda. Then he pointed at Cornell. "As for you, I would much rather kill the boy and take you to Dracula anyway." Cornell growled quietly. Another death on his conscience, he thought. Cornell could not bear it any longer. The vampire shielded his eyes as the light of Cornell's transformation blinded him. Henry too covered his eyes and stood still. Once again he was in shock. This time it was because of the gray haired man-wolf that before him. Cornell howled and began to lunge at the vampire. Cornell was then hit something against his chest. He fell to the ground and looked for what it was that had hit. All he could see was another one of the swords from the wall hanging over him. Like the one that killed Melinda, he could see none holding it. He fired a bolt of energy and the sword staggered backwards. As it went, the outline of a Hell Knight could now be seen. 

Cornell turned around to see Henry kneeling by Melinda's unmoving body. "Their invisible!" He growled at Henry. "Get down and stay down till I tell you!" Then Cornell got up and prepared himself. He fired at bolt in the direction of the floating sword and held it there. The outline of the Hell Knight became more and more sharp until finally the moan that they heard before sounded throughout out the room. The sword fell to the ground and a pile of gold dust that use to be the Hell Knight's armor lay under it. Cornell leaped over Henry aimed himself to what he thought was a Hell Knight. Cornell felt his body hit armor and felt that armor fall to the ground with him. Cornell did as he did with the other and soon the chamber went silent. Both Hell Knights were dead and their moaning spirits were out of the chamber. He walked towards the vampire that had stuffed himself into the corner of the room. He was shaking in fear as Cornell picked him up by the collar of his shirt and then grabbed him by the neck. 

"You were saying?" Cornell said making sure to show his fangs when he growled. 

The vampire led them quietly to the next room. He pulled a set of key from his pockets and   
unlocked the door ahead of them. The chamber that he led them into was larger than any chamber they had ever been in before. The chamber was circular and had a large dome for a ceiling. The walls were of the same marble color as the rest of the tower. In the center of the chamber lay a raised platform and on the platform, two huge pillars that towered above them but did not touch the dome. The chamber had a second level that went along the walls of the chamber and could be reached by a flight of stairs. The chamber was as unlit as the previous ones. The main light came from two large chandeliers that hung from the domed ceiling. The walls of the bottom level were decorated with sculptures and paintings. One corner even had a large organ. Cornell looked back to check that Henry was still behind him. When he looked he could see in Henry's face that he was still recovering from Melinda's death. Cornell turned back to the vampire and struck him in the back and asked him, "Where to now?" The vampire looked up and pointed at the two center pillars. 

"The jewel you seek sits on the pillar to your left. To reach it you will have to go to the second level and jump onto the top of the pillar." 

Cornell looked up. "That is to far a jump to make!" 

"There is a tight rope going across this chamber. You can make the jump from there." 

Cornell pushed him all the way up the stairs. When they reach the top they walked along the second level until they reached a section where they could walk no more. The end of the level was a single platform that had, as the vampire said, a tightrope tied to it. The rope led to a similar platform at the opposite end of the chamber. Cornell looked downwards and could see that at the top of both pillars was a single jewel. The one closest to him had a green jewel and the one furthest away had a white one. 

"What exactly are these jewels?" Cornell asked the vampire. 

"They are priceless pieces of art. But they are also powerful carriers of magic." The vampire then points to the pendant around Henry's neck. "Much like the one around your neck. Like it, the ancients themselves forged them. Their power is not meant for mortal men like this boy." 

"I see only two. Melinda said there are three." 

"Melinda? Ah yes the harpy. Well she is correct. But the third and most powerful is kept apart from the rest. To have the three crystals so close together would bring about…Well let us just say that it would be very unhealthy even for a man-wolf." 

Cornell looked at Henry. "Keep your pistol aimed at him. I won't be long." The vampire smiled as Henry aimed Coller's pistol at his head. He especially showed his fangs when Henry made an emphasis on pulling back the hammer on the pistol. Cornell meanwhile began walking along the rope. 

"It is the green one you seek." The vampire yelled after him. Cornell kept his eyes focused and his body in balance. He had done this many times in the forest except with large trees going across wild rivers. The only problem was the two chandeliers. As Cornell got closer he saw that they were swinging back and forth. Cornell took one deep breath and then let himself fall. In a split second he grabbed onto the tight rope and slowly began to make his way towards the pillar. Now under the rope the chandeliers proved no obstacle. Very quickly Cornell found himself hanging above the pillar with the green jewel. When he was sure that he was entirely above it, Cornell let go. Soon he felt the impact of the pillar against his feet. He turned to make sure that Henry was all right with the vampire and then inspected the jewel that lay before him. It was slightly bigger than the palm of his hand could hold but it weighed absolutely nothing. As   
Cornell held it in his hand he realized that he could see through it but it did not reflect anything back. 

Then suddenly an aura of light surrounded him. He looked towards where Henry held the vampire at gunpoint. 

"What trickery is this?" 

"Think of a place where you want to go and focus on it." 

Cornell did as the vampire instructed. He thought of the balcony where Henry was and focused on it. Then an image slowly appeared within the jewel. The image was Henry holding the vampire at gunpoint. Cornell looked back and forth between reality and what he saw in the jewel. 

"Walk into the light," the vampire said. 

Cornell took a deep breath and then stepped into the aura. What he felt after can only be described as a rush of light as he instantly found himself standing behind Henry and the vampire. 

"Amazing," Cornell said. 

"Isn't it?" 

"Cornell, now that we have it can't we use to take us directly to your sister?" Henry asked. 

"Good question." Then Cornell stared at the vampire. 

"No. You have to visualize the place you want to go to. Unless you know where you sister is the jewel is useless to you." 

"Anyway Henry, it is not your problem. It is time for you to go." 

"Damn it Cornell! I don't want to leave. They killed my mother and father! They killed Coller and now they killed Melinda! I want…" 

"You want what?" Cornell growled angrily. "Revenge? You are too young to seek it. The people who have died have died so that you might live and you will not dishonor them!" Cornell could see the boy was hurt and placed a hairy hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Henry. But I cannot…will not risk your life anymore." 

"Very well. Where will I go?" 

"I'm sending you to a place Coller hid in. It is in the castle wall. All you have to do is stay there and keep out of sight. Remember that the pendant you where will guide you. If that fails, use the jewel to send yourself somewhere else. If you have to, visualize a place off the island." 

"What about you?" 

"Assuming you don't have to run from where I'm sending you, I will pick you up there after I have rescued my sister Ada. One thing, Henry, if in three days I have not come to pick you up…use the crystal to get off the island." 

Henry nodded. Cornell turned and visualized the place where he had seen Coller jump out of when they first met. Coller had told him that he had hid there and no one had bothered him. He hoped that the same would be true with Henry. Soon the image appeared in the jewel and Cornell handed the jewel to Henry. Henry looked back at Cornell for a moment, "good luck Cornell." 

"Good luck to you too," and then Henry disappeared. Cornell immediately turned and grabbed the vampire by the throat. "Now then, I have one last thing to ask of you." The vampire squirmed a little before answering. 

"What now?" 

"Which way to Dracula?" 

"Take the tightrope all the way to the other side. There will be only one way to go. The path will lead you out of this tower. Now will you let me go free?" 

Cornell growled and showed his razor sharp teeth. The vampire's eye opened widely as Cornell placed his hand on the vampire's head. Then Cornell sent a surge of energy through his hand and into the vampire's skull. His head shook violently until finally Cornell's face was splattered with blood. Cornell looked up and howled until his roar filled the chamber. Then he released the vampire's empty shell. 

"That was for Coller and for Melinda." Then he jumped onto the tightrope and placed himself underneath as he did before. This time though, Cornell cut the tightrope and swung his way to the other side narrowly missing the two pillars. HE climbed his way up and began running down the only way he could. Just as the vampire had said, there was only one exit and it now stood before Cornell. Cornell began to walk towards when it hit him. A very familiar odor filled his nostrils. 

"Ortega!" 

A flash of energy came out of the darkness and hit Cornell square in the chest. The energy began to spread all over Cornell. He fought to get it off of him but could not. Cornell soon found himself on his knees and growling in pain. Finally he closed his eyes and embraced the darkness. From the darkness a figure walked out. It came towards Cornell and kneeled before him to whisper in his unconscious ear. 

"I'm so glad you are Cornell. Now you can appreciate my wonderful work."   


* * *

  
Back to the Lounge 


	17. The Tower of Execution

Chapter 16: The Execution Tower 

Cornell awoke with the scent of blood in his nose and the sound of screaming in his ears. Cornell opened his eyes to smiling face of Ortega standing before him. He tried to leap and grab his throat but the shackles around his wrists would not allow him. Although he was no longer in his wolf form he growled as he saw that his shackles were attached to chains that were bolted down into the ground. He could stand but could run only as far as the length of the chains. Ortega stood gloating as Cornell continued to struggle against the chains that bound him. 

"Welcome Cornell. Welcome to the tower of execution!" Ortega said loudly. 

Cornell blind with rage did not bother to observe where he was. His eyes were focused on his prey. Ortega grabbed Cornell by the chin and directed his view. Cornell now saw what Ortega was forcing him to see. The tower was just as large as the art tower. As Ortega directed his view Cornell saw that the tower was filled a fiery liquid like lava. The platform that they were on floated on this lake of fire as did the giant structure that stood in the center. The platform they were on, like many similar ones throughout the tower, were connected to the main structure. Ortega then grabbed Cornell hard by the hair. 

"Ah. Is it not sweet?" Then he looked at Cornell. "Do you not hear it? But then that is the point. Silence."

It was true. The screaming that Cornell had heard before was now silent. All he could hear was sound of the fiery liquid bubbling. 

"What have you done you devil?"

"Me? I'm no devil Cornell. I'm a saint compared to Dracula. This is all his doing you know. Well, not all of it. I must take credit for a few small details. Such as the villagers." 

Cornell stared at Ortega. "What did you do to them?"

"I believe you noticed something about the vampires, correct?"

"None of them have been members of our tribe. No former man-wolf has attacked me, except you!"

"Exactly Cornell! You always were quick weren't you? Do you want to know why?"

Cornell gave no reply. He merely stared. "I'll tell you then. Better yet, I will show." Ortega then grabbed his head again and forced him to look into the fiery lake. Cornell looked but at first could not see what Ortega wanted to show him. Then something came into view. It floated on the surface of liquid. It was black from the heat but under the burnt color he could still see the white underneath. Bones. The fire lake was filled with bones. Cornell forced himself to face Ortega. 

"You animal! How could you butcher your own clan?!"

"Animal? Coming from you? Howironic? Perhaps appropriate is the word."

"Why Ortega? Why damn you? And why have you taken Ada?"

"Why? How can you ask me that? You defeated me! It should have been I who should have the power to tap into the seal."

"The clan chose me, it is not my fault!"

"Yes it is! It is your fault I had to live so many years trapped in this human shell! I was happy as a man-wolf! The humans were meant to be our food but no! The mighty Cornell with his infinite wisdom had to make us see the light and seal our powers!" Ortega punched Cornell hard in the jaw.

"You destroyed our destiny Cornell. You changed us. Why? Tell me! Why join them?"

"You know why."

"Yes! I alone know why! And now you know why! You know why all if this has happened. Enough of this, it is time to show you the result of your actions." Ortega then stepped away from Cornell. He turned and looked into the lake. Cornell followed his gaze. The bubbling from the lake became stronger and stronger until finally a shape began to rise from the lake. It was twice as large as Cornell or Ortega. It had gray hair and fangs much like Cornell. 

"You remember our fellow pack member, Harleck?"

Cornell stared in disbelief as a giant man-wolf approached him. Harleck growled close to his face and flashed him his fangs. He grabbed Cornell by the head and howled into his ear. Cornell looked into his eyes and failed to find even a hint of intelligence. Perhaps the man-wolf before him was once Harleck, a great man-wolf and loyal friend, but now he was a mindless wild animal. 

"What have you done to him, Ortega?"

"As a warning from one friend to another. Look at him. Unlike you, this creature could not tap into the seal placed by the man-beasts. That seal was broken for him by Dracula."

"What?!"

"After all, there is a limit to the benefits of ascetic training. YetDracula has exceeded that limitation of the man-wolf with ease. Perhaps if you could also find the power to exceed that limitation you might survive, hm? I'll be waiting for you, Cornell. You're not the type that would lay down and die after coming this far." 

Ortega turned and began to walk away. Cornell yelled after him but Ortega just laughed aloud. As he walked away, Cornell's shackles fell off and he was free. Almost simultaneously a wall of fire erupted and surrounded the platform they stood on. Suddenly the platform was no longer connected to the main structure and it began to float away from it. But not only was it floating away but Cornell could feel it sinking under his feet. The huge man-wolf that towered over him did not make things any better. Each time he would take a step closer the platform would sink a little deeper. Cornell fired several bolts of energy but they did not have much of an effect. The huge man-wolf grabbed Cornell and picked him up. Cornell dangled in the air for a moment and then it threw him back to the ground. Cornell struggled momentarily to get himself up and then threw his entire weight against the creature. It stumbled and finally hit itself against the firewall. It howled in pain. Cornell pressed his advantage and transformed himself into his wolf form. He slashed the creature across the chest but that only made it angrier. It swung its arm in a wide arch and threw Cornell into the very same fire. It was Cornell's turn to howl in pain. Cornell was angry. He and the creature exchanged growls and Cornell pondered his next move. This was a mindless creature operating on animal instinct. Cornell struggled to find a way to outthink it. But then Cornell remembered something. This creature is or was a man-wolf. Therefore only one thing could possibly destroy it, a very large amount of man-wolf energy. Cornell remembered something that Ortega said, ". Perhaps if you could also find the power to exceed that limitation you might survive"

Cornell closed his eyes for a moment. As he did so the man-wolf grabbed him and began to push his body against the wall of fire. What Cornell had in mind had never been done before. But he had no choice. He might not live to save Ada and if did live he would be a mindless animal like the one before him. He thought back to Melinda's corpse and allowed the anger to swell up inside him. He thought of Henry's mother and father. He thought of Coller. Finally he thought of Ada being held captive by these monsters and then he did it. The man-wolf howled as he saw it coming. A wave of man-beast energy came towards him. It was blue light that slowly floated in all directions out from Cornell who was now howling. The wave began to consume the huge man-wolf and continued to spread in all directions. When it reached the center structure, the structure began shake and crumble. Slowly it tilted to the side and sunk somewhat into the lake. Finally the whole of the man-wolf dissipated into the wave and it began to retract back into Cornell. When all of the energy finished dissolving into Cornell, Cornell lay on the ground for a few moments. In his mind the memories of the man-wolf that was Harleck floated around hauntingly. But slowly they faded out of mind and only one thought remained in Cornell's mind, Ada. Only that name and a scent permeated in Cornell's mind. His mind was blank. He howled for no reason other than it made him feel good. He did not know where or why he was here. Cornell only knew of the scent that he was after. He does not remember. He knows nothing else. He knows not even that he has broken the seal. Without the seal all the energy of a man-wolf rages through him uncontrollably. Cornell, once a great warrior under the great seal placed by all the man-beasts has now been reduced to a wild animal.

**Chapter 17: Last of the Man-Wolf**


	18. The Last of the ManWolf

Chapter 17: Last of the Man-Wolf

Cornell followed Ada's scent closely to a room filled with clocks. The tick tock sound that they made annoyed Cornell so he broke each one of them. From the room he was in there were only three ways he could go. Back the way he came, or through two different paths. Oddly enough, Ada's scent seemed to come out of both. Cornell ran down the one from which the scent was stronger. He roared with anger when he found it lead to a dead end. He quickly turned around and ran through the other. The other path led to a platform, which instantly began to rise when Cornell put a foot onto it. It rose until Cornell found himself standing on the roof of the execution tower. Standing on the far edge of the roof is Ortega in his wolf form. Holding in his hand is a piece of Ada's dress. Ortega laughed as though he had never ceased from the last time they met. Cornell in his current state of mind inspected him closely as a potential threat. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as though some buried memory was trying to break through. 

"Well, well, look at the mighty Cornell. Reduced to the mentality of an animal." Cornell growled at the sound of his mocking voice. Although Cornell could no longer comprehend his words, his tone gave away his gloating. 

"You see Cornell! This is the result of your actions. Because of the seal you had placed on us we can never go back to what we were! At least not by normal means."

Cornell continued to growl and walked closer to Ortega. Ortega began to circle around him as Cornell got down on all fours.

"You planning on attacking me? Oh that's right! You swore to kill me didn't you? And you always keep your promises don't you? Like you probably swore to save Ada? Well you're too late, Cornell. Why, you've lost before the fight has even begun."

"Ada" Cornell growled in an inhuman voice.

"Forget about Ada! Now is the time for us to settle our feud once and for all." Then a glow began to surround Ortega. The glow was identical to the one Cornell had seen at the castle wall except this one was more intense. The glow seemed envelope him. Then it shone so bright that it hurt Cornell's eyes. When Cornell looked again the Ortega that he had always known no longer stood before. The creature that now towered over him had three heads each one a different animal, and had large feathered wings. He stood on four huge legs with an aura still surrounding him. It pulsated ominously like a heart beat. 

"Oh, yes. There was a time when you were quicker than I. A year ago when we fought your eyes were as cold as the moon. They were eyes that saw a weaker opponent. Even after all our years hunting together you did not respect me. You were always the better one! But the man you see before you today is a changed man-beast. Forever changed from that time. Changed I say!" One of Ortega's heads suddenly shot a burst of flames, which narrowly missed Cornell. As it shot the flames the other two heads roared with laughter.

"Are you truly ready to do battle with me?"

Cornell roared himself and walked closer to Ortega. Ortega rose slowly and began to hover above Cornell who was till on all fours. 

"Good. Now that you have broken the seal I can fight the true you. With everyone else dead you and I can finally battle to be the ultimate man-wolfto be the last and greatest of our kind!"

Ortega dove down and breathed flames from his mouth. Cornell rolled to the left to avoid them. He got up and leaped after him as he flew by grabbing onto one of his wings. Two of Ortega's head turned and tried to swallow him whole but Cornell fired again and again. Finally Ortega flipped upside down and hit the ground with his backside, Cornell still hanging on. Cornell howled in pain and let go. Ortega instantly got back on his four feet, his head roared and hissed all at once. Cornell fired bolts as he literally flew into Ortega. Cornell landed and grabbed hold of one of the heads and began send the energy into the snakelike head. It's long tongue lashed out hysterically at anything it could grab. The tongue seemed to have a life of it's own as it even wrapped itself around one of the other heads. Soon Ortega's new body seemed to be fighting itself. Finally the energy that Cornell was sending into the head was too much and Cornell suddenly felt himself being thrown across the rooftop along with the remains of the snake-head. Blood splattered over the rooftop and the other two heads roared. Cornell quickly got up again and instinctively pressed his advantage. He jumped onto it's backside and bit into one of it's wings. Then something caught Cornell's eye. Even in his primal state her could not overlook what he saw. Very slowly the sun was going down and the moon was coming into view. The moon had a special significance for Cornell. It would be a blue crescent moon. It would be his moon. As it came into view it began to rain. As it began to rain it's light reflected on the puddles that began to form throughout the rooftop. Suddenly something clicked in Cornell's mind. Gradually he felt himself returning. With a bright flash of light Cornell felt himself once more in his human form. His primal anger faded into the cool coordinated state of a true warrior. Cornell leaped onto the back of one of Ortega's heads and wrapped his arms around it. He squeezed with all his strength. The head jerked around hysterically as it became short of breath. Within moments Cornell felt as the pulse of the beast faded and the aura that had surrounded Ortega returned, this time it threw once across the rooftop. But unlike other time when Cornell merely felt the hard stone roof, Cornell threw his arms out desperately trying to grasp the edge of the rooftop. He dangled over the edge and made sure not to look down. Finally he pulled himself up and watched as the roaring shape of Ortega's beast form dissolved into his human form. Cornell kept his distance from the figure that lay before him. Although the figure seemed to be injured beyond help and blood sprouted from his shoulders and chest, Cornell remained cautious. Still not comprehending his own current state he almost had no memory of what he had done to Ortega. 

"Ortega" Cornell said almost whispering. 

"It appears that I am still not the match for you, Cornell. I thought that with these powers I could surpass your strength, but your heart is pure and with purpose. The old chieftain was rightno defeating that" Ortega panted. Cornell merely stood there unable to summon up the words to either forgive or condemn his old friend and pack brother. 

"I left Ada in the clock tower. She has not been sacrificed yet." Ortega smiled. "You will, as always, keep your promise. I wanted to settle this score even if it meant disobeying Dracula. So I have no regrets, now that I have fought the true you. I only regret what I did to the villagers, but it is too late for that now. It is too late for me, pack brother. I let my envy of you turn into hate and that hate will now consume me" Ortega stood up from his fetal position and clutched his chest. The aura around suddenly pulsated once more. 

"You are the last of us, Cornell"

"You don't need to go on, Ortega."

"Get away, Cornell. My power is going out of control. I can't stop it." Ortega broke out and began to run for the edge. Cornell ran after him yelling but he could not catch up. Ortega leapt into the air just as Cornell reached the edge. Cornell looked down as he fell. The aura faded into the mist and clouds until finally a bright light shone and Cornell saw the explosion. The tower itself shook. 

"Ortega" Cornell said without sorrow or anger. 

Cornell looked behind him. Beyond the clouds and beyond this tower lay the clock tower that Ortega spoke of. The rain was heavy and Cornell stared through the raindrops to see the face of the enormous clock tower. Cornell ran toward the platform that had taken him here and as he touched it began to lower. As the platform went down, drops still struck Cornell's head. He stared up and saw the blue crescent moon shining down upon him. Cornell closed his eyes and pondered this portent. 

One last moon for the last of the man-wolf.  
  
**Chapter 18: Keep of Secrets**


	19. Keep of Secrets

Chapter 18: Keep of Secrets 

The sound of metal gears clanking and rotating had filled Cornell's ears since he entered the clock tower. Jumping from gear to gear Cornell followed Ada's scent, which had become very strong. She smelled so close he felt he could touch her. Yet Cornell continued on not even catching a glimpse of her. Finally, Cornell was jumping across several gears when he saw a figure lying on one the many metal walkways that made up this tower. Cornell took a giant leap and almost howled in delight. 

"Ada!" Cornell yelled. He landed beside her ad turned her face up. Her face was pale and her hair white just like he had left her a little over a year ago. He touched her face gently and whispered her name once more. Cornell almost panicked when she did not respond. But slowly her eyelids opened to reveal her bright green eyes. 

"Oh, Cornell..." She said softly. Then she grasped his shirt and began to shed tears in his arms. "The village has burned... all the people..."

"It's all right now." Cornell said as he rocked her back and forth. Cornell pulled her out of his arms and looked into her eyes, as he had not for over a year. The look of her face was one of relief that her brother had come for her. But her face changed instantly into a horror filled expression. Cornell looked confusedly until he saw the blood spray onto her face. An instant later Cornell felt the pain in his shoulder. An instant after that Cornell felt himself being pushed away from Ada. Cornell fought to get himself closer but he took a hit from behind and fell to the ground. First he removed the sharp object that was nestled in his shoulder then he clasped his head in pain. He looked towards Ada and howled in anger as he saw her encased in what looked like a large red crystal. Hovering at her side was a skeletal figure dressed in robes, in its hand was a long wooden reaper. Spinning quickly in the air behind him were more of the same sharp things that had gotten him in the shoulder. 

"Scythes," Cornell said quietly to himself. 

Ada pounded and screamed from within the crystal, "Cornell!"

The skeletal figure then spoke. Its voice did not roar loudly but it echoed nonetheless. " I have found her at last. To think that lycanthropic fool hid the divine sacrifice here! Searching for her almost upset the timing of the ritual. And I thought that stupid lycanthrope would prove to be a little useful. What a fool, disobeying the orders of the Prince and wasting his own life."

Then like many of the other deathly figures Cornell had encountered, the robed figure began to disappear taking Ada with him. Cornell meantime stood up and began running. Suddenly feeling himself being drawn somewhere Cornell pursued his instincts and followed them towards the end of the walkway and to a steel door. The door blew in on itself with one blast and Cornell went storming in. The chamber he was in was enormous but irrelevant. Cornell followed his senses up a flight of stairs on the opposite of the chamber and broke through yet another steel door. This one he did not storm through. Cornell stood on edge of oblivion. His face was once again washed with raindrops and the wind streaked through his hair. Across form him and about a hundred feet to many was the tower where he had battled Ortega. He looked above and below him. He was no standing in the face of the clock. He himself was standing on the hour hand of the giant face. Beneath his feet he could feel the gear as slowly he anticipated the hand moving down. Cornell jumped to his right. He did not know if he was jumping towards anything or if he would fall into the abyss that lay below him. He felt the brunt of metal he managed to grasp the edge of the clock's hand. From where he was hanging he could no longer tell if he was hanging onto the hour or the minute hand. Above, in the corner of his eye, Cornell could see another doorway. With all of his strength and standing balanced for a spilt second on an angle clock hand, Cornell leapt into the air. He grabbed the edge of it and slowly pulled himself up. The doorway actually had no door, only darkness beyond its rim. Cornell stepped in and walked in darkness. In it, Cornell allowed his senses to take him over once more, surrendering himself to his primal side. 

Cornell emerged from the darkness drenched in water. The rain had not let up since it had started only a while ago. Cornell stood at the base of the most ominous flight of stairs he had ever seen. Cornell struggled to see what lay at the top but all he could see was clouds and fog. He continued his ascent into the clouds wondering how far up did this tower go. Only until he had passed two small and vacant towers did he see a glimmer of light. As he continued upwards the light transformed into fire and he stood before a dark and haunting structure. 

Throughout the ages this castle had changed many times. It had fallen before the might of many warriors but one thing remained the same. The highest point of the castle, the nexus for the ultimate duel between good and evil, the castle keep. It was a round structure with two flaming torches on either side of the enormous doors that comprised its entrance. The flames burned brightly and did not seem affected by the heavy downpour from above. They burned in defiance of the mother nature herself. The doors were made from an unnatural material and had imbedded in them the figure of a creature the likes of which Cornell had never seen. Cornell walked slowly towards the doors when suddenly they opened of their own accord. Cornell did not flinch. He continued walking until he was once again submerged in darkness. 

When Cornell entered the Keep he felt cold. It was unlike any cold he had ever experienced before. For years before the man-wolf sealed their powers, man-wolves were almost immune to the cold thanks to their furry bodies. "In this place it would have made no difference," Cornell thought. The keep was darkly lit but Cornell's eyes adjusted quickly. Inside the circular chamber curtains decorated the sides and a red carpet went through the middle of the room. It led all the way to a raised section of the room where lay a large wooden coffin. Hanging above the coffin was a large figure. Cornell approached slowly and for a moment thought he saw it move. When he was but a few feet away from the coffin the Keep became flooded with light. Torches hanging from thin pillars at the "corners" of the chamber suddenly became lit. Cornell looked up towards the figure and breathed a sign of relief. The figure was a giant statue of a bat. Cornell walked closer to the coffin when suddenly it flew open and the lid went flying across the Keep. Cornell staggered backwards as a red glare almost blinded him. When it subsided enough Cornell watched in disbelief as a large red crystal arose from the coffin. Within the coffin was Ada. 

"Ada!" Cornell yelled both in relief and in anger. Cornell began to look around like a hunter searching for the source of the sudden laughter. The laughter filled the room until a red glare formed in the center. Cornell blocked his eyes and suddenly there appeared a huge figure. The figure was dressed in a dark blue-gray coat that covered his red vest and white shirt underneath. Running from his shoulder to his waist was a white sash that matched the white collar tied around his neck. The man's face was scarred and ancient. He had a thin beard and mustache, his hair which was an unnatural faded color was pulled back. His eyes were red and blended perfectly with the inside of his cape. Even though he hovered several feet above the floor he was twice maybe triple Cornell's size. Cornell did not have to ask if he was in fact Dracula, he could smell it. Cornell stared into his blood red eyes when he spoke to him.

"Release my sister." 

Dracula smiled and returned with an equally determined stare. "I must applaud you. Not too many find their way to the Devil's lair. It normally takes a very particular bloodline to accomplish that."

"This will be the last time I ask. Let my sister go. Let Ada go!" 

"I will not bore you with ranting about how coming here would be the death of you. If you wish to free this young woman then come, let us dance the dance of creatures like us. Should you win then you may take your sister. Fail and join all living creatures in serving as the staff of my life in darkness."

Cornell at once jumped towards him planning on fire bolts as he flew. But as he came closer to him he transformed into a cloud of mist and Cornell fell hard against the ground. Cornell rolled until he sprang back onto his feet. He quickly scanned the keep searching for where he had moved when he felt the hairs on his back stand up at once. He turned around in time to see the lightening come down through the roof and strike him with full force. Cornell felt himself flying across the keep. As he did he watched as more lightening came crashing through the roof. Cornell quickly got to his feet and rolled from side to side dodging both incoming bolts of lightening and debris from the crumbling roof. Cornell shot a glance up and saw his moon shining brightly in the night. When he was within striking range of Dracula he howled at him over the sound of the raging thunderstorm. 

"Try some of mine!" 

Dracula staggered for a moment then faded once more into a cloud of mist. When he reformed again his eyes were filled with fire and so were his hands. Cornell rolled across the floor narrowly missing the flames that sprouted from his hands. As he missed Cornell Dracula set fire to the various curtains that surrounded the keep as well as the carpet that run down the middle. Soon the vampire and the man-wolf found themselves encased in fire. Cornell leapt over the fires and bolt after bolt. Dracula hid the pain he felt well. He took several more hits before retreating into his mist form. This time the mist reformed on the other side of the flames. Cornell prepared to leap once more when he felt himself being pulled by an invisible force. The force was slow at first then quick. It was so quick that Cornell did feel burned as he passed through the flames and into Dracula's hands. Dracula held him up with one hand and squeezed at Cornell's throat. 

As the rain came down the fires around them went out. Dracula hovered above the ground once more and gently floated towards the crystal where Ada had painfully watched the battle. He pushed Cornell against the red crystal as he taunted him.

"What do you call that? I thought you loved your little sister? You're not even trying. You can do better."

"Go back to hell!"

"In time, man-wolf. First let me tell you, I know you better than you think."

"All you need to know is that I will kill" Suddenly a bolt of lightening struck Cornell directly and stayed there. Cornell felt as the electricity surged through him. He felt as the small wound in his shoulder suddenly opened wide and began to bleed. Cornell felt anger swell up inside him. His eyes glowed even more than the lightening that was striking him. In his mind Cornell felt his mind fading. He was reverting back to the animal that he was before. Dracula looked into his eyes and knew it. 

"Come man-wolf, give me want I want. Release the animal in you. Let me see what you are made of."

"No," Cornell yelled into the air. Dracula's face became filled with hatred and conviction. "He's trying to provoke me. Make me lose control in order to kill me." Cornell thought to himself. 

"Why don't you tell Ada your secret Cornell? No? Then I will. The truth is she is not a man-wolf. She is a survivor of the humans your kind killed. No, the ones you killed. You led the attack on her wagon train didn't you?" 

Cornell fought to control himself the glow in his eyes showed that he would not win. Dracula would continue until he saw Cornell a primitive animal and then he would sacrifice Ada. 

"You raised her as a man-wolf, but you cannot deceive me. You hid her during the ceremony of the seal. You made sure that no one asked where she was so that no one would suspect. You came from another tribe so everyone believed you when you said that you had been separated. So after all the man-wolves became human it was safe for you to raise her. 

"Did you think that you could atone for your sins by saving her? That it would make up for all the humans you killed? Or perhaps you thought that this young lady would be elated by your actions? It is nothing more than a shallow deception by a man-beast! Come now, bare your true self. Show her who you truly are! You are an animal!"

Cornell then grabbed Dracula's arms and yelled, "I am not an animal!" The surge of man-beast energy released Cornell from his grasp and sent Dracula to the other side of the keep.

"Ada" Cornell said as he touched the crystal. 

"Are you alright Cornell?"

"Not until you're free and away from this place." Cornell said then looked back towards Dracula. His huge figure lay on the ground. Smoke rose up from his motionless body. Cornell fired a blast but he did not stir. Although he did not believe for a minute that the infamous Dracula was down for good, he wanted to get Ada out of the keep as soon as possible. He turned back to the crystal and began thinking of how to break it without harming Ada. Cornell was halfway through deliberating whether or not to try a blast of man-beast energy when Ada cried out to him. 

"Cornell!"

Cornell fell to the ground and struggled to break free from the magical bonds that held him. He turned towards Ada and then towards Dracula. He was now standing with his cape wide open. The crystal slowly moved towards Dracula as Ada pounded and cried for Cornell to get up. Cornell fought hard but soon he felt his anger taking over again. It was then that Dracula spoke again. 

"Now I will reveal to you my true form. This power is second to none! If you want to save this woman you'd better be willing to give your life."

Cornell continued his fight to release himself. Cornell watched in watched in horror as the crystal that held Ada began to shrink smaller and smaller until it was totally absorbed into the now closing cape of Dracula. "Ada!" Cornell yelled at the top of his lungs. Then the world around him came apart. The remaining parts of the keep's roof flew high into the air. Above the keep Cornell could see the sky clearly. In the sky a portal formed. As he stared above he felt as though the keep were rising. Cornell could not tell anything as the walls and the very floor itself disappeared from his sight. Cornell looked below him and saw nothing but dark clouds. He was surrounded by darkness. Then suddenly Cornell felt that he could move once more. The magical bonds that held him had gone. Slowly he rose from whatever it was that was holding him up. He felt almost disoriented by the lack of sturdy ground beneath him. Then he nearly fell backwards as a huge bolt of lightening struck before. He thought he saw something illuminated in the darkness but only for an instant. The primal forces that had taken him over still lingered so Cornell was not taken totally by surprise. Nonetheless the mammoth sized creature slowly hovered towards him. Entirely it was as high as one the castle's towers. It hovered with wings that spanned what seemed like a mile in either direction. The creature's head was like that of two different ones. The bottom half was like that of a man, it had a chin, mouth and nose. The upper half converged at point like a mountaintop and had four horns protruding out of the back. His arms and chest were muscular and had enormous strength. Unusual cuts along the center of his chest moved ever so slightly as though some huge and dark heart lay underneath the skin. It's skin was a gray identical to the Cornell saw on Dracula. The creature had the look of a twisted and hellish equivalent of an angel. Then Cornell heard the voice. It was ancient, raspy and worn away by centuries of combat. It echoed throughout the dark universe that Cornell now stood in. It was the voice of Dracula and he was yelling out his war cry. He spread his arms and wings and began to roar loudly. As he roared the cuts and crevices in his chest revealed their true purpose. Cornell watched as Dracula's enormous chest opened wide to reveal the monster within. Dracula's head shifted from left to right and protruded slightly from the cocoon that held it in place. The face was surrounded by red flesh that was moist with blood. Dracula's face smiled for a moment then shut himself back into his chest. Dracula formed semi fists and within those fists he attracted bolts of lightening which he threw at Cornell. Every single one came within an inch of striking Cornell. He rolled along the invisible floor and sprang up firing his own bolts of energy. Hitting Dracula was no problem, his size made it easy but actually doing him harm was another. Cornell hit him many times but nothing seemed to hurt him. This made Cornell very angry which was dangerous not only for Dracula but also for Cornell. He did not know he his mind would come back again if he reverted back to his animal state. Dracula soon began for send out fireballs, which Cornell easily picked off one by one with his own energy. But Dracula caught him off guard by flying quickly over towards him and snatching up into his hand. Cornell could never hope to break the grip of the monstrosity but continued to pound on Dracula's enormous hand. Dracula drew him close to his chest where Cornell came closer than he ever wanted to Dracula's head. His huge wide eyes came open and examined him for a moment then the face smiled once more. 

"Surrender man-wolf. Surrender or your kind becomes extinct like so many others that I have massacred."

"Never!" Cornell cried as he fired blast directly at Dracula's huge head. Dracula roared in pain and Cornell became spray with blood. He felt himself being thrown away to the ground. When he landed, he felt as though he was once more in a portal similar to the one that brought him here. This portal made him feel as though he was being pushed backwards but Cornell's senses told him that he was still where he had always been. Cornell leaped into the center of the portal to face four huge worm-like creatures slithering towards him. As he continued forward Cornell blasted them as well. More blood sprouted from his enemies and Cornell had to suppress the thoughts that entered his mind. His animal senses became delighted with the taste of blood in his mouth. But he was not an animal. When Cornell came out of the portal Dracula was a little further away from him than before and had his hands open and aimed at him. Long shards of ice came rushing towards him. Cornell was ready to pick them off one by one when he slammed his fist onto the see through ground and the huge shards became smaller and even sharper shards. Almost all at once Cornell felt the hundred shards come cutting across his arms and legs. Cornell did his best to hide his head from the icy blades. When they had passed Cornell began to run towards Dracula once more. This time he created one of his streams of energy and maintained it. The long stream of man-beast energy continually bombarded Dracula's cavity until it burst open. Dracula emerged from his chest screaming in pain. Cornell pressed on. Energy began to build all around Dracula's body so much that Cornell could not have blocked it when it blew. A massive storm of energy moving in all directions with Dracula as it's eye. Cornell landed well away from Dracula and staggered to his feet. 

Unlike when the battle had begun Dracula's skin was no longer smooth and muscular. Now it slowly began to reveal its scars. Blood poured from the openings all over and his arm and wings went limp. Then he let loose a horrible moan. Cornell breathed a momentary sign of relief as a huge wormhole formed beneath them. Cornell was far enough away so that he did not feel himself being pulled in; but the same was not true of Dracula. Ever so slowly Dracula began to sink into the huge vortex. Cornell looked around hastily searching for some clue to where Ada might be. Cornell yelled once more as high as his vocal cords would allow. 

"Release my sister, monster!"  
  
Dracula was halfway through the portal when he slowly began to rise again. His arm reached up for something. For a moment he seemed to be reaching out for nothing but then Cornell saw the crystal. The red crystal, which had entrapped Ada, was being sucked into Dracula's hand. Within moments it he closed his enormous hand around it and then resumed his descent into the vortex. Cornell once more leapt into the air. He seemed fly upward defying the pull from the vortex until he struck something. Cornell fell back to the ground right at the edge of the wormhole. He quickly tried to move forward again but he once more hit himself against the invisible field. The invisible wall blocked Cornell from moving any further. Cornell pounded against it when suddenly the field became visible and took on the shape of the magical bond that had captured him before. Cornell watched as Ada sank closer and closer to the abyss. Cornell's eyes glowed with a rage unknown to this world. "All or nothing!" Cornell howled for no one's sake but his own. In his mind he surrender to his mind over to his animal instincts. Cornell felt as his mind slowly slipped away and the animal inside him took over. If it's strength was all that might save Ada then he would give it, even if it meant losing his mind and soul. The magical bonds instantly broke and Cornell was free from his bonds. But Cornell was not free from the pain. As his anger took over he felt that the more anger the more pain. He could not stop the anger, it swelled up, and it matured within him. Finally it burst out like a newborn baby. The anger was so strong and so filled with purpose it took on a life of it's own. Cornell felt like clutching his stomach, which was on fire but he could not. The pain alone left him with his arms spread and chest out. Cornell cried out in anguish as he felt himself being ripped apart. Cornell's anger flowed out of him and took on the shape of his wolf form. It went flying upwards towards Ada. Within seconds it hovered next to her. With one swift blow it shattered the crystal. It grabbed onto Ada and sent spiraling towards Cornell. Then Cornell's anger howled like a wild animal as Dracula's hand gripped it. It fought savagely but did not break free. On the ground Ada helped Cornell up and together they watched as Dracula sunk entirely into portal. 

The last thing they saw were the eyes of Cornell's anger as it stared at Cornell. Cornell nodded slightly as though it had said something to him. Ada did not know and did not care. She only held onto her Cornell and watched it disappear. When Dracula had totally disappeared a whirlpool of clouds formed beneath them and began to rise. Together they stood nearby its eye holding each other. The whirlpool of clouds came up around them and continued to rise until slowly their surrounding faded into something familiar. Within a few seconds Cornell and Ada stood in the center of the castle keep, once more restored to its former state. The whirlwind that had surrounded them became narrower and narrower until it sank into the coffin at the front of the keep. When it had totally submerged itself there, the lid, which had flown off, came flying back towards its counterpart and closed over. When it was all over the castle keep was exactly like it had been before the battle. The curtains and carpet were no longer burnt and the coffin lid was firmly in its place.   
  
For the first time in a very long time, tears ran down Cornell's cheeks. Although they were still in the lair of evil, Cornell and Ada stood there and held each other. For them, nothing else mattered.   
  
**Chapter 19: Aftermath**


	20. Aftermath

Chapter 19: Aftermath 

The forest seemed to no longer be cursed with a maddening silence so Ada was able to sleep most of the night. Cornell had stood watch over Ada during all that time. He could not have slept even if he had wanted to. The So many things had happened so quickly that he had no idea where to start. He sat crouched over Ada and pondered their future. The journey out of the castle had been much easier than the one coming in. Harpies did not circle the towers nor did any vampires haunt the villa. As Cornell looked at the reward of his long quest he looked back. Coller, Melinda, and Henry. Henry was something else that filled his mind. He had not waited for him at the castle wall. This meant either he moved on because of some danger orAnother casualty. 

"The truth is she is not a man-wolf. She is a survivor of the humans your kind killed. No, the ones you killed" Cornell closed his eyes to see if it would block out the truth of Dracula's words but he continued. His words ringed in his ears. 

"Did you think that you could atone for your sins by saving her? That it would make up for all the humans you killed? Or perhaps you thought that this young lady would be elated by your actions? It is nothing more than a shallow deception by a man-beast! Come now; bare your true self. Show her who you truly are! You are an animal!"

Cornell stood up from where he was and kicked at a nearby rock. He the thought back to what Ortega had said to him.

"You will, as always, keep your promise. I wanted to settle this score even if it meant disobeying Dracula. So I have no regrets, now that I have fought the true you. I only regret what I did to the villagers, but it is too late for that now"

There were so many unanswered questions. There were so many things he was unsure of. During the long journey out of the castle he had not tried to transform into his wolf form. The fact was that he was afraid to.

"Cornell?"

Cornell turned back and found Ada stirring. "Are you alright?"

"Ada" Cornell turned away not being able to bear the sight of her. Once upon a time she represented his redemption but now, all she did was remind him of what he truly was. Cornell was an animal. Dracula had proven it by forcing it out of him where Ada could see it. "Somewhere the ancients must be laughing," Cornell thought. Ada came closer to Cornell and touched his arm. Cornell did not turn around. 

"Cornell, I don't know what to"

"You don't have to say a thing. After we get off the island we can go our separate ways if you want."

"No. That's not what I want. I don't remember my parents. I don't remember what you did to them. But I can't ignore the truth."

"I know."

"But I can not hate you Cornell. As long as I can remember you have been my brother. You have always protected me and kept me safe. You came for me against all odds, Cornell. I can't ignore that you love me or that I love you. You are my brother in every way that counts. I can't hate the only brother I have ever known." 

"AdaI never gave you another choice. I" Cornell suddenly heard the rustle of leaves. He quickly scanned around and pushed Ada behind him. Then a shadow appeared beneath a nearby tree. Cornell saw the glint of silver and immediately knew that it was all right. 

"Henry!"

"Cornell!" Henry yelled as he ran towards him. They ran into each other's arms and Cornell picked him off the ground. When he let him down they immediately began to question each not even leaving time for one another to answer. They were too relieved to see each other again to really care. Ada saw how glad they were to see each other, but being the proper lady that she was, she subtlety demanded to be introduced. 

"Aren't you going to introduce to the young man?"

Cornell patted Henry on the head and allowed himself a smile. Henry being a properly educated boy needed no help. He knew how to introduce himself. He walked a few steps forward took Ada's hand and kissed it. "Henry De Rais at your service," he said. He said De Rais without flinching. Henry had thought it over for a very long time and decided it best to use the name for certain reasons. The reasons he would explain later to Cornell who had shot him a confused glance when he introduced himself. Ada replied to Henry's introduction with a short but formal curtsy. "Ada," she said simply and they both shared a laugh. 

Cornell went and gathered firewood while Henry ad Ada got to know each other. When he had returned they were still laughing. He was glad, after all they needed it most. Cornell sat with his legs crisscrossed pondering how to get off the island. 

"... and then the blue wolf went in front of me and led me out. Thanks to this pendant, I managed to avoid anymore evil spirits."

"Is that my pendant?"

"I believe it is. So therefore I must thank youagain." Then Henry and Ada laughed once more. 

  
Ada turned around and stared and the first rays of sunshine coming between the clouds. "It's going to be a beautiful day! Don't you think so, Cornell?"

Cornell then snapped out of his thoughts, "Uh, yes. I believe it will be." 

"Ah, nothing beats the first bit of sunshine!" Henry exclaimed. 

"Henry? Do you still have the white crystal?"

"Yes."

"Then that's our way off the island. Take it out would you?"

Henry pulled it out from the front pocket of his suspender and handed it to Cornell. Cornell looked at Ada. She knew what he was thinking about.

"Cornell, the sun of a new day is coming up. It is a new day. It can be the same for us. Please?"

Cornell considered for a moment. There were things that he must tell her, about his past. They might change what she thought of him but he must tell her. That was his quest now, a quest for redemption. He may never get it but that goal is not the real reward, the journey is. Cornell allowed himself another smile and took her hand. 

"The darkness has lifted, Cornell." Ada said. Then she took Henry's and smiled. "And you will come along too won't you?"

"Always."

Cornell focused his mind and together an aura surrounded them. They stood there for an instant then with a flash of light they were gone. The wind picked up after they had gone. A single skeletal arm rose up from the ground and pushed dirt over the fire that Cornell had started until it died. The arm sank back into the ground and nestled near its owner. It lay there and rested until it was called again. For now, the island was back to normal its state. Everything was as before. 

The inside of the keep was dark despite the bright sun that shined outside. Although the keep had no windows he felt uneasy. But he had to be here for the ceremony. It was his duty. Death hovered before the coffin of his mighty prince holding the Necronomican in hand. He waved his hand around and around. Hovering above the coffin was Cornell's anger encased in a red crystal. 

"This is the man-beast magic extracted from the man-wolf? Such enormous power..."

"It's was all the jewel could contain. But it should be sufficient for the ritual." Actrise said from behind Gilles. 

"O great powers of the underworld sealed under the man-beast's magic, bring back our master to his true state. Show us your exalted power. Provide the soul of this sleeping devil with a new body!" Death spoke loudly so that it echoed throughout the keep.

The crystal began to shrink into a smaller size until it became the size of a jewel. Then it slipped through the coffin. When it was through bolts of magical energy sprouted from the coffin and Death turned with a skeletal smile. 

"The ritual is a complete success. All has proceeded just as the Prince had calculated. Foolish humans! They will soon see. One day the world will be again shrouded in pure unadulterated darkness!"   
  
**Chapter 20: A Day In Light **


	21. A Day in Light

Chapter 20: A Day In Light 

The sun bore down upon the town of Veros. All around life flourished with each individual's routine. Bees extract honey from the flowers outside the flower shop and the butcher rides his horse cart with the next day's meat. Men return from the forest with firewood for the night and wives place sundry clothes in the hamper. To a visitor this would be a common scene to find in the many towns that populate the countryside. It is hard to believe that this beautiful lush town scarcely resembles the small village that once stood on the same spot nearly ten years ago. The village of Veros was small and for many years scantily populated. Legends say that it was regularly the target of evil spirits and angry demons that thrive in the legends of this land. But eight years ago the land was hit harshly by a weeklong rain storm. It flooded the lands and made rivers of mud that took months to subside. The destruction of the small village as well as the death of its inhabitants was attributed to the storm. After several years a large and prosperous town was built over the mud and dirt remains. Legends of skeleton armies and man-wolves were now far from the minds of the town folk. They're only used to scare children into submission, children such as those that played in front of the baker's house. 

"Kick it Clark! Before Bess gets it!" Anthony yelled. Clark, a boy eight years old with black hair flapping in the wind was running with all his might to reach the dirty brown ball that lay ten feet ahead of him. But he was too late. The blond haired Bess kicked the ball in the direction of her compatriots. 

"Damn!" Anthony cursed. 

"Anthony! What did I tell you about cursing!" A voice cried out. Anthony turned with a sheepish face. "Sorry Carrie. I'll try harder." Carrie smiled with satisfaction as the young boy returned to the ball game. Carrie sat on top of a wooden barrel overlooking the game. She was the oldest so it was her job to watch over the little ones. The three boys and three girls that were "fighting" over a dirty ball made of rubber were all eight years old. All of them except Florence who was still seven. Carrie was twelve years old and had short black that went down to her neck. She wore a blue green dress that was really more green than blue. She watched the game but was lost in her thoughts. She struggled to think of something entertaining. The game was only fun if you were in it but to make it fair she had to stay out of it, that plus the fact that she was older. Carrie wished that there were someone else her age in Veros. Someone that she could play with and not feel like she had an advantage over them. But there wasn't so Carrie sat and watched. 

  
From behind large bushes two eyes peered through the branches. The bright blue eyes scanned the sporting scene for several moments and then focused on Carrie. It held the stare for what seemed like an eternity. He had seen her many times before but he was not allowed to speak to her. That only made him want to speak to her more. He wanted to know what she was like. Was she nice? Was she mean? She did not look mean, in fact she looked quite nice. But she always seemed sad, even when she was happy. He felt like he could understand her and that made the voice mad. 

What are you looking at?

"Nothing."

Don't lie to me. You know you can't. 

"She's pretty. I want to talk to her."

What did I tell you! What have I always told you!

"I'm sorry. Don't get mad."

I'm not mad, the voice said. I only want what's best for you. Even as the voice said it Malus knew it was a lie. Just as he could not lie to it, it could not lie to him. 

"She's special isn't she?"

Yes she is. 

"So why don't you let me talk to her?"

It is not your place, yet.

Malus was suddenly drawn back into reality as he heard the cries and whimpers of children. To his left he saw a dirty rubber ball roll into a nearby brush. The children whined and cried out to Carrie. Malus heard her telling them not to worry, she would get the ball. 

"All of you stay here, I'll be back in a minute." 

Perhaps it is time to test something.

Carrie was about ten feet from the ball when something rushed by quickly. It was so fast that she thought it might be an animal. But then Carrie saw that the ball was gone. What animal would take the ball? "Hey, come back here!" Carrie yelled. She started run, but as she ran she had no idea where she was going or whom she was running after. Finally she came into a wide plain surrounded by trees and forest. In the center of the plain was the rubber ball, dirtier than ever. She slowly walked towards it keeping a good eye all around her. Dirt she walked on was an odd color. As she bent down to pick up the ball she grabbed some in her hand. Carrie looked up towards the sky as the color of the ground triggered memories long since buried. Tears ran down her cheeks as bright lights engulfed familiar faces. Bright lights that were really

"Flames."

Carrie snapped away from her memories and found herself looking at small figure dressed in a purple suit. The figure was a boy, nearly her size, with blue hair and blue eyes. To Carrie it was as though he had just appeared from nowhere and so for a moment she had no idea how to react. 

"Who are you?" Carrie finally said.

"Malus."

"I've never heard that name before."

"I've never heard your name before."

"Carrie is a common name!"

"I didn't say it wasn't, I just said I had never heard you name."

"That's not what I" Carrie stopped after she realized that he was playing with her. 

"You don't look old enough to be a smart mouth, Malus."

"I'm seven, eight in three days."

"Why did you take my ball?"

"I didn't."

Carrie considered him for a moment. It was odd. Looking into his eyes she could see that he was telling the truth and yet somehow she knew it had been him. That made Carrie want to hit him in the head. She felt like the seven-year-old was outsmarting her. It was embarrassing. She then turned her attention back to where they were. 

"It's quiet here. Do you come here often?"

"Yes. It's the only place I can really think. That and I know no one else will come here."

"Why?"

"Because of the ground."

"What was it you said about the ground?"

"I said, flames."

Carrie was annoyed again. "Why did you say that?"

"I could see you recognized the color of the ground. This place was once on fire. People tell themselves that a long time ago a flood destroyed this little village but they know it was fire. It's always fire around here. You know about that don't you? You and I both know about it."

Carrie was struggling to break their locked gaze but could not. She felt like he was reading her thoughts from her gazing eyes. "You don't talk like a seven-year-old."

"I've had a special teacher."

Finally she broke the gaze. She looked at the ball in her hands and kept her gaze there. "I've never seen you around before. Where do you live?"

"In the town. My parents say there is something"

"Carrie!" A voice cried out. Carrie turned in the general direction of her mother's voice. When she turned back towards Malus, he was gone. Carrie saw her mother come out from the bushes. Her cheeks were as red as her hair. At first sight of her, Henrietta quickly brushed away the tears from her bright green eyes. 

"Carrie! You had me worried sick. Why did you run so far away?"

"I'm sorry mother. The ball got kicked this far into the bush."

Carrie's mother was too relieved to see Carrie safe and sound to question her any further. "Next time just leave it," she said. Henrietta clutched Carrie in her arms. Quickly they strode away through the bushes, but not before Henrietta caught a glimpse of something, something with blue hair. 

Night had fallen upon the town of Veros. Henrietta along with Carrie finished dropping off the last three children, Diana, Edward, and Florence. Their parents were grateful towards them for taking care of them all day. Henrietta and Carrie were very much loved in Veros. Everyone knew their sad story. Carrie was of course an orphan. Henrietta was on the other hand a widow. Everyone knew that they were not truly blood-related but no one thought it really mattered. Both of them lived together on the second floor of the town bakery. The owner was not known for his kindness but seemed to like them for some reason. He let them live in his bakery free of charge. The only condition was that Henrietta would have to work for him. It was not hard work and after all, Henrietta turned out to be a very good baker. 

The only light in the bakery came from the few candles that Henrietta lit around the bakery and the two in the center of the dinner table. Carrie stared at her empty plate. It had been a delicious meal like always. She loved Henrietta's cooking. For some reason Carrie found herself trying to think of a time when she did not know of her delicious food. In fact all day Carrie found herself thinking about a lot of things that she had never thought about before. Henrietta had told her many times that it was a sign she was becoming mature. Carrie hoped she wasn't becoming an adult. As much as she loved her mother, she couldn't trust too many adults. She always felt that they thought different from young people. They way of thinking is always so clouded with other things that only adults would think about. Carrie suddenly found herself asking her mother something that had never occurred to her before. 

"What happened in that open field you found me in today?"

Henrietta looked somewhat stunned at the question. She held a plate half raised from the dinner table for a moment before finishing the motion to pick it up. She took it and dropped it away with all the other dishes that she would have to clean up for tomorrow. 

"Mother?"

"Why do you ask me such a thing?"

"I just want to know."

"It was where the old village used to be. Didn't they teach you this at school?"

"Yes."

"So why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe it had been something else."

"Something else? Like what?"

"Fire."

"Now if they told you it was a flood why would you think it was a fire?"

"Maybe the adults didn't want to remember. Adults never want to remember anything."

"Now there's enough of that. Aren't you sleepy?"

"No."

"Well you should," Henrietta said as she tugged at Carrie and ushered up to bed. "It's past your bedtime." She helped her into her sleeping gown, tucked her in, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. After Carrie had long since fell asleep she blew out the remaining candles in the bakery. Then Henrietta sat alone in the dark. She worked hard to give Carrie a good life. She hoped she had been successful up until now. But today she felt like that had been threatened. Finding Carrie in that field worried her. Every person carries their own share of scars and bad memories. It was Carrie's misfortune that hers happen to have led her back here. Henrietta did not always live in Veros . She lived with her husband in a village faraway from here. When her husband passed away she became very reclusive, rarely going out into the streets. One day she did go out of her house. On that day it just so happen that villagers were burning a pair of witches they had found trying to steal some food. Why witches would steal food was a matter for the judges to figure out. Nevertheless the pair was sentenced to be burned. Henrietta hated burnings. Then, to her surprise she stumbled upon a little girl hiding behind some barrels. The girl turned out to be Carrie. She was about four years old and skinny as though she had not eaten in days. Henrietta swore that the moment she found her she had found herself a reason to live. It took her a while but eventually Carrie began to talk again. At one point, she began to ignore the fact that Henrietta wasn't her real mother. In fact Henrietta wasn't sure if she remembered he real parents. Nonetheless Henrietta worked quietly to try and find out who her parents really were. She knew that one day Carrie would want to know. Now Henrietta felt as though that day might be approaching. Henrietta stayed in the darkness and pondered in Carrie's lineage which she knew would bring her young daughter great peril.  
  
**Chapter 21: A Day in Darkness **


	22. A Day in Darkness

Chapter 21: A Day in Darkness 

Malus lay on his soft bed lying face up with his eyes shut. Malus lay in a shroud of darkness. His eyes saw nothing but the purest black. In that blackness there flickered brief images. Places, people, and smells that Malus had never seen before except when he closed his eyes. But he also saw dark things. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, all he would see is red. Malus did not like that color of red but the voice said that he was being childish.

"But am I not a child?"

NO! You are more than that. 

Malus remembered the voice was not always so angry with him. Before it seemed quite sad. When he was a baby, he remembered the voice calling out to someone. Lisa he thought it was. But as Malus grew older, the voice seemed to forget about that name. If Malus would say the name then the voice would make him see bad things. Malus the heard the door of his room open slightly. He did not open his eyes because he immediately sensed that the voice did not want him to. Malus knew it was his mother.

She is afraid of you.

"No she's not! She's justembarrassed. I look different from other children. She doesn't want them to say bad things about me."

She fears you. That's good.

"Why would she fear me?"

She knows you won't do anything to her, but she fears what you might do to the world. She knows what you truly are.

"You're lying." Even though Malus could only hear a voice, he knew that the voice was somehow smiling. 

I told her what you truly are. Before you were born I was whispering in her ear. 

"Why'd you do that. I won't do anything to anyone. Promise!"

Foolish boy. 

Malus' mother stared at her precious child. When she heard the footsteps of her husband she quickly closed the door and moved on. Over the years she has had many close calls. Many times she has wanted to tell her husband of her fears. Yet something always stopped her. Was she afraid of her little Malus? Perhaps she was. She pondered on the memories of nightmares eight years past. Behind her she did not notice Malus' father standing at Malus' door. 

He stood at the door like a proud father. But looking at his wife walk away he felt like a sad husband. Although she seemed happy enough, he knew better. The birth of a child is normally a peak of happiness in any marriage. But eight years ago his wife was a different woman. Her eyes were alive. She smiled and laughed but whenever he looked into her eyes he felt like crying. It seemed as though some horrific image had been nailed to her eyes. Not even today did she seem like her old self. But then again, today of all days she should be worse. Today is Malus' birthday, his eighth. The blue hair and blue eyed child that lay asleep was born at sunset this very day. He tried to look upon that day as a happy day but it had been far from it. They had been lost in the woods for several days. During those days it almost continually rained. The nightmares that his wife had been having did not make things easier. Close to the birth she suddenly became preoccupied with whether or not their child would be a good boy. Then there was the fact that she was sure it was a boy. She was so afraid that he would grow up "a wicked child" she said. Finally when Malus had been born she seemed to calm somewhat. But the he knew that the events of that day still haunted her. He has done his best to give his son the best, given the circumstances. Before he was old enough to speak Malus had been treated with indifference. People were somewhat paranoid about odd things in this area. Malus' blue hair did not help things. As a result he and his wife have tried very hard to keep Malus kept away from prying eyes that might not look favorably upon him. 

After several hours of letting him sleep, Malus' parents woke him up. Malus woke happy and more alive than usual. Malus sprung from his bed and hugged his mother exclaiming loudly, "I love you, mother." His mother looked into his bright blue eyes and smiled. Malus' father looked into his wife's eyes saw that they too seemed alive. Then for a very long time they stayed huddled together hugging as a family for the first timeand the last. Malus held back tears as the words that the voice had said to him rang in his ears. 

Today, your eighth birthday, you will be free of me.

Carrie watched the sky once again as the sun seemed to be preparing to set. The light it emitted painted the clouds orange and yellow. It was a beautiful end to a good day. Carrie had once again taken care of the children who today were on their best behavior. Now she walked hand in hand with her mother and headed home. 

"Beautiful day isn't?" Henrietta commented. Carrie nodded in agreement but kept her eyes fixed on the clouds. She watched their golden color fade suddenly. Her beautiful golden colors suddenly turned to rust. Whereas before Carrie had to squint her eyes to keep looking upwards, now she look up perfectly. Henrietta clutched to Carrie's hand tightly as the whole world seemed to go dark. 

After a fabulous dinner Malus' parents had decided to give Malus his present. It was wrapped in a dark red paper with a blue bow on top. His mother had wrapped in red unconsciously. The decision seemed not to bother Malus who in the wonderful silence in his head had totally forgotten about the terrible images of his youth. Malus held his present for a few moments and looked at his parents as though waiting for permission to open it. A smile from both mother and father told him that he could. He quickly tore the paper away from his gift. The wrapping fell to the floor and Malus now held in his hands a wooden box. Malus opened the box and inside was a beautifully crafted violin.

"Go ahead son. Play yourself a birthday tune."

"Carrie stay close to me!" Henrietta screamed loudly. Carrie felt as that she might suffocate from how tightly Henrietta held onto her. Screams erupted from all directions of the town. Together Carrie and her mother nestled into a corner and watched as, literally, all of hell broke loose. Carrie shuddered as a man flying out of a window and flying into another across the street. A green light came shining out of the window that he had come from and from that window a ghostly apparition floated out. It was a hooded figure without legs. It was transparent and yet glowed with a spectral green light. It turned towards Carrie and Henrietta and removed its hood. Henrietta screamed as a floating skull floated slowly towards them. The specter smiled happily. Although Henrietta did not know, the ghost was listening to the pleasant sound of a violin. A somber tune rode the winds of the night and drowned out the sound of people screaming. 

Malus played on happily, oblivious to the sounds of chaos outside his home. His mother and father watched him, mesmerized. The violin seemed to sound louder than it should but they did not notice. Even when the sound of an invisible piano joining Malus they merely clapped joyfully as though it were a natural event. Soon they were not watching Malus standing in the middle of their living room, but a mature Malus standing in the center of a concerto grosso. Their dreams of Malus overcoming the prejudices of his appearance were suddenly fulfilled. The final moments of Malus' parent were one of joy. It did not matter that it was all an illusion. Malus played on, unable to stop. In his head he felt the return of the voice. 

It is my time now. 

"No!"

The door to their house was thrown inward. Through the doorway the ensuing chaos was quite visible. Skeletal warriors had risen up from the ground and had begun to round up villagers. Through the doorway stepped in a large figure that had to bend down slightly in order to walk in. It wore a long gray coat with a sash going from his shoulder to his waist. His face was scarred and ancient. To a select few, his face would be unmistakably that of Vlad Dracula III. He towered over Malus and smiled as the sweet sound of music touched his ears. He gave Malus' parents a passing glance and faced Malus. Dracula looked Malus in the eyes. Malus' face did not change. Dracula's left arm raised and pointed in the direction of Malus' parents. A stream of flames erupted from his open fist and engulfed Malus' parents. Never breaking away from his gaze, Dracula watched as tears rolled down from Malus' cheeks. Malus continued to play as the voice erupted into a loud clamor in his head.

Burn1 Burn! Oh delightful freedom is almost at hand. Burn!

Carrie broke away from her mother suddenly as she saw a huge figure emerge from a burning house. Accompanying the large man was Malus. She watched as Malus walked almost as though he was in a trance. Carrie began to run towards them on instinct. Henrietta screamed as she ran after her. Carrie dodged Skull warriors that stood in her way and waved her hand through spirits which seemed to be disturbed when you shoved a hand through them. Henrietta managed to keep up with Carrie but suddenly saw something that Carrie did not, a skull warrior with a sword poised to chop Carrie in half. Henrietta found the strength within her to leap into the air and receive the full effect of the blow. Henrietta felt as the rusty old sword cut across her back. Her now limp body pushed Carrie to the ground. Carrie turned over and stared at her hands. They were filled with blood. Tears came streaming down her cheeks as she grasped on tightly to Henrietta's body. The blood from her back poured onto Carrie's dress and for her, the world turned red. Henrietta's hand lifted up slightly and touched Carrie's face. Carrie tried to speak but could not find the words. 

"Shhh.go."

"No! I won't leave you."

Henrietta almost smiled as she looked around to see that Skull warriors were surrounding them. She looked back to Carrie. "Go now. Beforenever told youname." Carrie cried even more when she could not understand what she was saying. Henrieta's eyes closed but she uttered one last word. 

"Fernandez"

Carrie looked around her. Flames surrounded her. Her mother lay dead in her arms. The name Fernandez rebounded in her head. It echoed over and over until something clicked inside her. She felt anger swell up inside her as reality meshed with memories long since buried. Two familiar faces screamed in agony as flames engulfed them. The houses around her were themselves on fire. Carrie stood up and spread her bloodstained hands for all the skull warriors to see. Carrie then felt something rising up inside her. First it was hot, then cold, and finally it was like lightening. Her hands glowed with her own green light and an orb formed around her hands. The orb grew larger and larger until they became so large that they released themselves and circled around her rapidly. As they circled they struck all of the Skull warriors and each one fell to pieces. In the darkness, Dracula along with two other figures, a man and a woman, slowly faded into a cloud of mist. Behind their disappearing forms, Skull warriors marched men, women, and children from the village though the road. They march to the castle, among them, a boy with blue hair and blue eyes. 

Before the three figures disappeared, the woman muttered something. Waves of green light seemed to pour out of the small girl. "Interesting she said muttered quietly. At the center of the waves of magical energy they came a saddened cry of pain.

"Mother!"  
  
**Chapter 22: A Gathering of Forces**


	23. A Gathering of Forces

Chapter 22: A Gathering of Forces 

The sun was burning down upon Reinhardt's skin. He lay flat on the ground and gazing up at the sky. After twelve days without food or sleep Reinhardt could feel as the sun slowly went down and signaled the end of day and the beginning of night. In his mind he could hear the voice of his father. Together with his brother Werner, they camped out in the middle of the forest with nothing but the clothes on their back and one knife between the three of them. 

"One day" he said, "you may both be called upon to sit in the same spot for weeks at a time. To do otherwise might mean the difference between life or death, or worse."

Their father had been a rigid teacher. Sometimes he and Werner forgot that the man was their father. But that would always change. At some point his face would transform and he would pat them both on the shoulder and say, "Excellent, you two will be a great team. Brothers and partners forever." But forever never came. Reinhardt swallowed the sweat coming down from his forehead as the only nourishment he could get. Memories floated about in his head, memories of ill chosen words and hasty decisions.

"Reinhardt, I don't agree. I think we should consider traveling there now."

"We wait Werner."

"And while we wait, innocents might die!"  
Reinhardt could not help but get up from the ground. His muscles ached from disuse but he pressed on. He began to run down a steep and nearby hill. At the foot of the hill stood a large rock. At the speed he was descending he would strike the rock and be crushed. With the pain soaring through his body he could let himself collapse, but then he would curl up like a snowball and still be crushed. And so Reinhardt kept on running. As he approached the rock Reinhardt quickly pulled out his sword from its sheath. He leapt into the air and turned backwards as he flew. His feet screamed in pain, as they struck hard against the ground. Then before he felt anymore pain, Reinhardt swung his sword down onto the large rock and sparks flew out as metal struck stone. As the moon slowly shined down upon him, Reinhardt began to run back to his wooden home. When Reinhardt approached the front door he came to a dead halt. An odor reached his nose that made him draw his sword and open the door slowly. When he was inside he quietly made his way towards the kitchen. In the kitchen he saw a figure some inches shorter than himself. The figure was quietly cooking some chicken soup. Reinhardt got behind the lone figure and placed the sword at his neck. The figure looked back and Reinhardt immediately recognized the boy. 

"Jonathan?"

"Yes Reinhardt. We were hungry from the long trip and felt that you would not mind us using your kitchen."

Reinhardt turned to the source of the voice and was delighted to see that Father Samuel was standing at the doorway to his kitchen. Reinhardt immediately sheathed his word and patted Jonathan on the head. "Sorry, about that. Almost didn't recognize you now that you are all grown up now. I knew opening those doors all the time would bring you some muscle," Reinhardt smiled but the boy's was as if it had never changed since the last time they met. 

"Come Reinhardt, let us speak. I have much to tell you."

At the dining table Reinhardt sat in his customary chair. He had sat Samuel in the seat that belonged to his father. They sat for a few moments in silence. Finally Samuel broke the silence with a question.

"What do you think of Jonathan?"

"He growing up to be a strong man. Have you thought of having him trained."

"No, although I see your point. He would be a strong ally but it is not what he needs. To have seen so much so younghe needs to lead a quiet life. I think he has improved over the years, don't you? Eight years ago he would not even have looked at you. He looked at you did he not?"

"Yes. What news do you have."

Samuel smiled. "At a time like this I struggle to think upon how others gone about my same duty. Do they prepare some speech? Do they write a letter instead of speaking in person? Perhaps they do what I do right now, ponder on those that have come before them?" Reinhardt stared at Samuel. "Reinhardt, yesterday night a village was attacked. The forces behind the attack were creatures that refuse to leave this earth and take they place in the after life. Ghosts demons, and skeletal warriors. These forces were under the leadership of Prince Vlad Dracula III."

Reinhardt rose from the table and stood silently looking through the window. Behind him Samuel continued. "Like those who have served before you, Sonya, Simon, and Richter, now is your time Reinhardt. What say you?"

Reinhardt turned and stared into Samuel's unseeing eyes. 'Once more unto the breach'

The next morning Reinhardt, together with Samuel and Jonathan, rode out to the town of Veros on a small wagon. Reinhardt rode silently upon his horse contemplating in his mind what lay ahead of him. Since boyhood he had known that this day might come. Each member of his family knew quite well that they must always be prepared for this moment. This was the moment when his life would be forever changed. As he rode out he adjusted his armor. He would have to make sure that he was comfortable. It would not be very likely that he would be having a change of clothes for the next. For this reason he only chose his most comfortable clothes. But he also took into account that this journey would not be an easy one. To protect himself he wore a silver armored breastplate, the collar of which was laced with some animal fur to help keep him warm during the long nights. Around his neck he wore the red scarf that belonged to his father. His boots were hard enough to break a man's legs but light as a feather. They reached to his knees and covered the dark gray colored slacks he was wearing. Hanging from his left side was the sword that he had trained with since manhood and going from his right shoulder to his waist was the chain whip of his ancestors. The final addition to his battle attire was a small backpack, which held a few supplies, but most importantly, a weapon far more powerful than most might think. In Reinhardt's mind he was calling out, "brother, where art thou?"

After several days journey, all they found were the charcoal remains of the town. Houses were missing their roofs, doors were non-existent, and glass littered the ground. The streets were scarcely inhabited. One woman was huddled in a corner crying and mumbling something about her child. Others walked around aimlessly searching for homes that were gone. The population of Veros was in shock. Reinhardt rode the old wagon to the front of the church. Among all the chaos the church stood relatively unharmed. When Reinhardt led Samuel to it's doors, Samuel placed his hands on the wood of the door and smiled. No matter where it may be, the church was his home. Inside Samuel made his way to the front altar and stood before it with Reinhardt and Jonathan behind him. Together they all knelt down and made the sign of the cross. Samuel rose and turned to face Reinhardt who remained kneeling in prayer. Jonathan in the meantime disappeared into the shadows of the church. When he returned he held in his hands a small bowl filled with water. Samuel touched the water and then placed some on Reinhardt's forehead. 

"Father, son, and the holy spirit. Go in peace. May God watch over you and guide you."

Reinhardt rose up and turned slowly as to leave. Samuel stopped him and gestured for Reinhardt to guide him. Together they walked outside and surveyed the poor remnants of a once quiet town. Samuel sat himself on one of the steps leading to the church doors. 

"There is something you must know Reinhardt. You will not be making this journey alone after all."

"What do you mean?"

"Eight years ago, a trio of youngsters came to my attention. They were a young girl, a boy of the somewhat the same age, and a manwolf."

"A manwolf?"

"Yes."

"I thought"

"Whatever you thought, erase it from your mind. No one knows for sure. So it is better to not speculate. What is for certain is that eight years ago, something happened. Only three people know for sure. One of those is going with you."

"Wait a minute, Samuel. I go alone. It's tradition."

"Originally you were not going alone."

"That was different. He was family. Blood."

"Others before you have ventured in teams. Besides, this time it is different."

"How so?"

"The children!" said a loud voice in front of them. Standing at the foot of the steps to the castle stood a large man in armor. He wore a silver helmet with a cross on its face. The cross also acted as a visor through which he could see. His sleeves and trousers were a dark green and hanging on his side was an odd looking pistol. 

"Welcome Henry. I'm glad you came."

"I came as soon as I received your letter, Father Samuel. I haven't wasted any time here. There are three boys and four girls missing."

"Children?" Reinhardt asked. 

Henry turned to Reinhardt. "Yes, when the village was attacked the demons took the children of the town."

"For what purpose?"

"That is yet to be seen" Samuel said. "So as you can see Reinhardt, there is more to this than meets the eye."

"There are also several villagers missing as well. I thought perhaps they had been taken asdrink."

Reinhardt knew that he was right, but that did not help. If his brother were here, he would surely feel their pain. He was always sensitive to such powerful emotion such as pain and suffering. Reinhardt found his way back to the discussion as Henry continued. 

"The oddest thing of all is something that the villagers have been telling me. There was a girl, one of the missing children, she was not taken by the demons."

"Where did she go then?" Reinhardt asked.

"She supposedly drove the demons away, with magic."

"A girl with magical powers?" Samuel whispered to himself. "How interesting." He raised his voice and addressed Reinhardt. "Know you can see why it is crucial that you take Henry with you. Something is amiss and you will need all the help you can get."

Reinhardt looked into the cold stare of Henry's helmet. Henry turned and mounted on a nearby horse. Reinhardt followed suit and mounted his horse. He looked up at the sky. "Werner, where are you?" Reinhardt began to ride away with Henry behind him. Henry caught up to Reinhardt and looked at him for a moment. 

"Do you mind if I lead? I know the way."

Underneath Henry's helmet a smile crept across his face. Henry was going home.  
  
**Chapter 23: The Arrival **


	24. The Arrival

Chapter 23: The Arrival 

With Henry leading the way, they rode until the sun was preparing to set. The sky was painted gold and the sun was covered by a multitude of clouds. In the opposite direction a moon could be seen preparing for the long night. Henry and Reinhardt slowly rode into the desolate town of the Other World. Henry knew of this place. Twice before he had rode through the ancient town. He knew quite well that this was the last spot before reaching the castle on the foggy lake. Every step that brought Henry closer to the castle made more childhood memories flood into his mind. He had not even so much as been touched by a demon and already this journey was becoming painful. But with so much at stake, he could not turn back. 

Reinhardt rode alongside Henry and his thoughts were also aimed towards the past. In his mind, Reinhardt imagined how many of his ancestors rode through here. What horrors they must have faced. It is true what his father told him, "no matter how much I prepare you, nothing can ever fully prevent the awe you will feel when you embark upon your quest. Once you begin, nothing is ever the same again." Reinhardt listened to his father's words ring in his ears until his horse came to a stop. They had reached the beginning of a dock. A gray fog enveloped the sea and neither of them could see what lay ahead of them. 

"Look," Henry said, gesturing to a large wooden pole with a horn hanging from a hook. After dismounting from his horse Reinhardt unhooked the horn and held it in his hand for a moment. Henry too got off his and smiled at the horn that to him was all too familiar. 

"Blow into the horn and summon the Ferryman," Henry said. Reinhardt looked at Henry for a few moments before blowing into it. The horn echoed in the darkness. After the sound receded, only the sound of the sea remained. Reinhardt turned to Henry, "This is all familiar to you?"

"So far," Henry replied. "I expect that after eight years I can expect a few surprises."

A soft bumping sound made them look towards the bottom of the dock. At the foot of a ladder leading downwards was a small ferry, big enough for maybe three persons. The back of the ferry was shrouded in fog so neither Henry nor Reinhardt could see who was piloting it. Then darkly clothed figure emerged and climbed the ladder. The figure faced Reinhardt and Henry, its face always hidden by its hood. Finally it's voice revealed that the figure was an old man with a raspy voice. The old man seemed to address Henry.

"The Lord of the Manor has returned."

"Y-yes," Henry replied reluctantly.

"It has gone over many renovations since last you saw it."  
  
"I imagine so."

"There are many unhappy spirits stalking those halls which you played in as a boy."

"I wish to lay them to rest."

The figure seemed to nod in approval. He then turned slightly so that Reinhardt would know that he was addressing him. "I apologize for not answering your call more promptly. Unfortunately for you, I have been receiving quite a lot of work these past few days. Much more activity than usual."

"It is alright, " Reinhardt said, "perhaps you can tell us why you have been so busy lately?"

"I could," the Ferryman said, then he turned and began to descend the ladder. Henry went ahead and followed him. Reinhardt stood for a moment and said, "Ferrymen, never can give you a straight answer." Then he too went down the ladder. 

The ferry was very small and Reinhardt and Henry were cramped together in it with the Ferryman standing at the back steering the boat. Ever so slowly they made their way into the fog. 

"The fog that never lifts," Reinhardt said.

"True, but sometimes the light can make the fog invisible," the Ferryman said. "I fear I will not be able to take you the whole way. I never go all the way."

Henry turned to the Ferryman, "are we to swim across?"

"No, no one who has ever been in my care has had to swim, for long. But in this case no. You will take my ferry across."

Henry turned to Reinhardt who was trying to get his bearings. When Henry turned back to the Ferryman, he was gone. Henry tapped Reinhardt's shoulder. "I believe we are on our own now."

"Just as well, he knew more than he let on. I don't trust anyone who knows more than I do and doesn't tell me."

"Do you trust me? A man you have known for only a day."

Reinhardt looked at him, "that depends, do you know anything that I don't?" the conversation was interrupted when the ferry suddenly struck something. Reinhardt stared ahead of him and saw only a large wall. Using an oar that was left in the boat Henry rowed the ferry along the side of the wall until they reached what appeared to be the entrance. Reinhardt looked up to the remains of what he knew to be the West Bridge. 

Henry docked the ferry against the wall and looked up. With no ladder or anything to grab onto he asked, "How exactly are we going to go get up there?" Reinhardt looked up, unhooked the chain whip going from his shoulder to his waist, and made a mighty swing into the air. The end of his chain whip grabbed onto the head of a statue at the top of the bridge. Reinhardt quickly climbed up and allowed Henry to use the whip as a rope. As soon as they were both facing the entrance they found ahead of them lay a set of large double doors, blown off their hinges. Henry kneeled down and inspected them. 

"This damage is recent isn't it?" Reinhardt asked. 

"After the last time I was here, yes. What could possibly have done it, I'd rather not meet."

Reinhardt and Henry chose to press on rather than speculate on what might have broken the large doors. After climbing several ledges they entered the forest. They walked in silence until, after some walking, they reached a square with four stone pillars towering over them. In the center of the square was a statue. This was so far familiar to Henry. What surprised not only Henry but Reinhardt as well were the piles of bones scattered all over the ground. All around the square courtyard they had entered were the scattered remnants of human beings. Henry and Reinhardt made their way to the center of the square by walking through the small patches of ground where no bones lay. All the while, Reinhardt watched the bones as carefully as he would a wild animal. Reinhardt turned to Henry, "You are supposedly the expert. Which way would you recommend?"

Henry pointed to enormous double doors to their immediate left. They lay on the other side of a short bridge that was half destroyed. "That is the way to the castle. The trouble now is opening the doors."

"How did you open them before?"

"They had already been opened when I came through here."

Henry looked around until his eyes stopped on a switch. The switch was attached to a post on the other side of another small bridge that led only to the switch and nothing else. On this dark island, the switch was most out of place. Nevertheless Henry walked toward it without a word to Reinhardt. Reinhardt followed him slowly but did not cross the bridge with him. Henry approached it cautiously and inspected it for a few moments. Henry looked back at Reinhardt. Reinhardt stood motionless at the boundary between the bridge and the land. A soft rattle made Reinhardt look downwards. There was nothing but the ground and bones. 

"Don't pull the switch!" Reinhardt yelled. But he was too late. A skeletal grasped his leg and sent him to the ground face first. Henry had pulled the switch and the whole world turned upside down within seconds. Henry turned around to watch as the bridge that Reinhardt now lay on began to lower downwards into chasm that it had previously covered. Henry's attention was once again drawn away when he heard a loud roar. Henry looked up and saw that what looked like a fiery ball was headed towards him. The ball struck the ground beside him. The ball then moved and took of the shape of a man. But this man was like none that Henry had ever seen. His body was like pure muscle and his skin and head was like that of a tiger. Henry could feel the heat he was releasing as the tiger man body glowed red with fire. 

Reinhardt tussled with the upper torso of a skeleton. It was only half of a full human skeleton but what it lacked in completeness it made up for in strength. It held on to his leg as though it were a part of it. Reinhardt had to practically break his leg kicking it against the side of the cliff before the skull warrior broke to pieces. Reinhardt kicked them off of the descending bridge just in case. He looked up and saw Henry facing the onslaught of the tiger man. Reinhardt turned as he heard yet another rattling sound. This time the skull warriors were coming out from the very side of the cliff. Reinhardt unsheathed his sword and stared at the two skull warriors with indifference. Under his breath he whispered to himself, "Courage, don't leave me."

Henry looked into the burning eyes of the tiger man and then aimed his gun at them. The tiger man grabbed him by the arm and threw him against the ground. The armor he wore made the impact of the ground even harder. Henry got up slowly. The towering figure walked towards him menacingly. Henry saw his chance and lunged for the gap between his legs. Henry went sliding underneath him. The rest of the way he crawled towards the ledge and let himself fall down from the cliff's edge. Once again he felt his armor do him more harm than good as he felt the impact of the still descending bridge. Reinhardt, somewhat occupied with two skull warriors, managed to turn to face Henry.

"Nice of you to join me."

Henry managed a small grin beneath his helmet. When he felt the large thump of something landing hard on the bridge he pointed his finger to what he knew was standing behind him. "I brought company I'm afraid," Henry said, referring to the tiger man that had followed him. Reinhardt beheaded both skull warriors and pushed them off the bridge.

"We'll be fine so long as you don't pull anymore switches," Reinhardt said.

Henry aimed his weapon again and fired. The tiger man roared as he staggered backwards a little. It roared once more and slammed it huge fist onto the bridge. The shock wave sent Reinhardt over the edge of the bridge. At the last second he managed to grab onto the very edge of it. Henry checked to see that Reinhardt was "safely" hanging on and then continued to fire. The bullets did little to deter the tiger man but did enough to make him angry and stupid. The tiger man charged right into the cliff side while Henry slid between his legs once more. Henry rolled to the other side of the bridge and quickly pulled a small object from his backpack. 

"Reinhardt, hold on and watch out!"

Henry rubbed the top of the object against the floor of the bridge and then threw it at the tiger man. As it flew Reinhardt saw sparks coming from the object and ducked his head beneath the bridge. He looked downwards and saw that they were descending towards water below. On the bridge the tiger man was furious. He began to glow bright red and prepared for another charge. Slowly the bridge stopped descending. Reinhardt's bottom half was underwater. Then Reinhardt averted his eyes as an explosion erupted before him. The tiger man roared and slowly became consumed by his own fire. When the fire dissipated Reinhardt stuck his head up from beneath the bridge. Henry helped him up and both of them looked at what lay behind the dusty remains of the tiger man. Although there were a few roots hanging down and dirt falling as well, it was unmistakably a tunnel. 

"Considering what happened the last time I took the initiative, I'll just wait for you to tell me what we do next." Henry said. 

Reinhardt looked at him with the same expression he always seemed to have. It was neither sarcastic nor cruel. "If you feel like climbing back, go right ahead. I'm going this way."

Henry patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't pull any switches unless you tell me to." After he had gone on Reinhardt muttered to him self, "I feel better already."

The tunnel was dark so Henry lit a match. When Reinhardt's eyes became accustomed to the darkness he saw that there were skull heads lying around the tunnel. "Keep your eyes open," he whispered to Henry. As they walked they suddenly felt a large tremor. It shook the tunnel and caused streams of dirt to fall from the ceiling. After the tremor stopped, shock waves kept the tunnel off balance. Within seconds Reinhardt was yelling for Henry to run. In front of them as well as behind them, the tunnel began to fall apart. Finally they saw a light ahead and they doubled their speed. When they emerged from the tunnel it collapsed in on itself. Both men fell to the ground and stopped to regain their breath. Yet another tremor made them get back on their feet. The end of the tunnel had led them into a wooded area filled with large trees. Reinhardt led the way he felt the tremor had come from. After several minutes of treading through the thick forest they reached an open area. Once more Reinhardt and Henry were stunned to see the area filled with piles of bones. Several parts of the large open area had small patches of flame. In the center the huge remnants of an enlarged skeleton lay broken in pieces. 

"What in God's name?" Reinhardt said aloud. 

Both Reinhardt and Henry surveyed the area. Without words they agreed that it looked like a battlefield. The most telling piece if evidence lay many yards ahead of them. The entrance of the exterior castle wall. The drawbridge appeared to have been blown of its hinges. The chains that would normally pull it in hung on its sides. 

"Any idea as to what might be causing all of this damage?" Reinhardt asked Henry.

"Not a clue. I only know that if whatever it is continues, then this journey might not be as bad as we thought."

Reinhardt didn't like it. Whatever it was that was going ahead of them was obviously a foe not to be taken lightly. Already it had dealt with several obstacles that Reinhardt does not even know how he would have dealt with himself. Reinhardt led the way to the castle entrance slowly and cautiously. As the walked across the great wooden drawbridge the sound of their heavy boots echoed in the abysmal ravine beneath them. Reinhardt cursed inwardly as he imagined the sound of their footsteps warning anyone who might be ahead of them. 

When they had completely crossed the drawbridge, Reinhardt thought in the back of his mind that the drawbridge would go back up again. For a moment even looked back, waiting. Ahead of them were the remains of two solid iron gates, which were melted and deformed. A small circular opening in the center of the gates would allow them to continue. Henry made to go though but Reinhardt stopped him. Beyond the two gates, it was almost total darkness. Reinhardt could make out some large structure in the distance but he had no clue to what it might be. 

"It's too dark. I think it would be best if we wait for light."

"I agree," Henry said. "Besides, I know for a fact that after this point, things will become much more difficult. I suggest we take this night as the last normal night we are going to have for several days. I know a safe place where we can rest."

Henry turned to a door to their right. The door had a moon crest on its center. Henry pushed the door and entered into the darkness beyond it. Reinhardt followed and heard Henry say, "but it will take some work to get to." When they had passed the darkness they emerged into a large chamber that seemed to rise up into the sky. It was a large circular staircase but of a deadlier kind. From the ground floor Reinhardt could see spiked platforms, dangerous jumps, and even pillars of flame throwing dragonheads. 

After four flights of stairs Henry came to a halt before several spiked platforms. "What's wrong? We've jumped through a few of these already." Reinhardt asked. Henry then pointed to the platform across from the spiked ones. On the platform there lay the body of a small girl. Reinhardt put his hand on Henry chest. "On my mark." Reinhardt focused on the rotating platforms and memorized the timing of their movements. In his mind he anticipated their every turn. "Now!" Reinhardt finally exclaimed. Both Henry and Reinhardt jumped into the air and landed on the second of three rotating platforms. Just as soon as they landed they felt the platform begin to move and they jumped once more, this time they landed on the platform where the little girl was. The girl was dressed in a blue dress and was lying face down on the platform. Henry turned her over. The girl's face was covered in dirt. The bags under her eyes showed that she had not slept in quite some time. Reinhardt pulled out some bread from his backpack while Henry tried to wake her up. The girl slowly began to mumble to herself. 

"Momma"

"Shh," Henry whispered to her softly. "Eat some bread. It will be all right." The girl ate in short bites and she slowly began to move around more. As she began to stir, she looked around fearfully. Even Henry and Reinhardt were met by a young fear filled expression. 

"What's your name?" Henry asked her.

After several moments of looking into the eyes behind the helmet, the small girl replied in a soft and low voice, "BBess."

"Well Bess, my name is Henry." By looking into his eyes, Bess could see that he was smiling under what to her looked like a frightful helmet. Henry cradled her in his arms and she quietly continued to eat more bread. Henry looked at Reinhardt. 

"Shock."

"Can you carry her?"

"I can manage," Henry said. In reality they did not have much more to travel. After two more levels they reached a door at the top of the staircase. On the door was a relief of a crescent moon. Reinhardt motioned for Henry to stay back and cover the girl. Reinhardt burst into the door and disappeared into the darkness beyond it. Henry held on tightly to the girl. Then he let out a sign of relief when Reinhardt emerged once more and gave the signal that it was safe. Henry carried the girl through the doorway and into the large open chamber ahead. The chamber was open to the sky so it was lit by moonlight only. In the center of the chamber stood the remains of a mechanism, presumably to open the gratings below. The shock of whatever had attacked the gratings had demolished the mechanisms above. Henry looked around and found Reinhardt standing before a hole in one of the chamber's walls. Henry approached him and saw what it was that had drawn him there. 

"The castle." Reinhardt said. The hole in the castle wall had a perfect view of the castle lying in the distance. Henry took in the incredible view for several moments before his eyes set on something not so distant from where they were. Henry's mind felt the sudden rush of memories kept dormant for the past eight years. The large villa that lay several yards ahead of them looked barren and abandoned in the darkness. 

"Home," Henry whispered to himself. In his arms he felt as the sight of the castle disturbed the small girl. Henry took her away from the view of the castle and laid her down on the floor. Bess curled up like a baby and began to rock back and forth. Reinhardt looked at the small girl and felt anger rise up within him. The evil of the place was too much for any young one. 

"She can't be allowed to stay. Rescuing the children is supposed to be your job. I hope you have a plan on how to get her out of here."

Henry looked at Reinhardt for a moment and then raised his arms to remove his helmet. Underneath the helmet, Henry was a handsome and youthful man with long blond hair tied into a ponytail. His eyes were piercing blue and his teeth were clenched from anger. 

"Don't worry. None of these demons will be bothering Bess ever again. I swear it."

Henry then reached into his backpack and took out a white crystal that nestled in the palm of his hand. He closed his eyes and held it in his hands for a few moments. There was a brief flash and Reinhardt shielded his eyes. When he looked again, the crystal's white surface was no longer transparent. On the crystal Reinhardt could see an image. When he looked closer he realized the image was that of Father Samuel with several others. They sat together in what seemed to be a room with many beds. Henry lifted Bess's hand and placed it on the white crystal. 

"You might want to shield your eyes once more," Henry said. Then almost immediately there was another flash. When this one dissipated Reinhardt was surprised to see that Bess had gone as well. 

"How? Where?"

"A prearranged place between Father Samuel and I." Henry placed the crystal back in the backpack and took out some bread for himself. "When Samuel first contacted me and informed me of my mission, my first problem would be getting the children out. When I was here eight years ago, I took something with me. This white crystal has the power to transport the children we find to the place Father Samuel and I agreed with."

"I see one problem with what you are telling me. When Samuel contacted me, only a day had passed since the attack. Then, when you the met at the village it were as though you two had not met for quite awhile. But all of this planning could not have taken place so quickly. So my question to you is, how?"

Henry grunted. "All right. I'm aware that you and Father Samuel have known each other for many years. So obviously you know that Samuel has a way of knowing more than what he says. Father Samuel knew that children were going to be taken."

"What!" Reinhardt exclaimed loudly. "Impossible!"

"Listen to me Reinhardt. He knew some children would be taken but he did not know which or from where. He could not protect all the children in Romania."

"But how did he know?"

"I'm not sure. I think he knew of some prophecy."

"Prophecy? He told me of one once. But it was too long ago. I can't remember the exact words."

"Well, the way the crystal works is by focusing on a place in your mind. After several moments the crystal finds the place and it appears in the crystal. Then all you must do is touch the crystal and you are taken there."

"That could come in very handy."

"The trick of course is that you must be able to visualize your destination. That is why I can't just think about Dracula and have us get there on the spot. I would have to have been there."

"Tell me about your first trip here. How did you come to be here?"

"Did you see that villa out there? That was my home. My father came here many years ago when the castle was in ruins. He was the adopted son of a wealthy Englishman. His true roots were here in Wallachia. He brought my mother and I with him to excavate the castle ruins with hopes of finding more about his family line. Eight year ago he found too much."

"How did the man-wolf and the girl fit in."

When Reinhardt mentioned "the girl" a smile crept onto Henry's face. A short laugh burst out from him and he continued his tale. "The man-wolf's name was Cornell. The girl was Ada, his sister. Ada had been kidnapped by demons from Dracula's castle. Cornell went in search of them and to rescue her. To keep this tale short, I'll just tell you that he did."

"What about your parents?"

"My father wasturned. My mother, I actually don't know."

"Any hopes?"

Henry grinned a little but his eyes were filled with sorrow locked away for so long. Reinhardt could see the tears he was forcing back into himself. "A few." Henry shook his head several times and then asked Reinhardt, "who will take the first watch?" Reinhardt was about to respond when a loud echo resounded all over the chamber they were in. The sound was that of a clock striking the hour. Both Reinhardt and Henry looked outwards through the hole and towards the castle. In his mind Reinhardt recalled the passed down tales of the castles enormous clock tower. The castle mesmerized both of them. Even when a cloud of mist appeared before the hole in the wall they did not break their gaze. The cloud of mist contorted and changed shape until finally Reinhardt and Henry watched as a large figure hovered about outside the hole. The scars on the figure's face as well as the style of his clothes made him look ancient. The regal sash going from his shoulder to his waist and the long cape made look like royalty. The look in his eyes was unmistakably evil. 

"Dracula," Reinhardt said.

He crossed his arms as he drew closer to them. Then he spoke in a loud and commanding voice. "Scum of a Belmont, upstart weakling. All who oppose the dark lord must die. So come to me the both of you, meet your doom! I will make your souls suffer in hell."

Henry had heard enough. He raised his pistol, aimed for the ancient vampire's head and fired. The only reaction was a booming laugh that echoed throughout the mechanism chamber. The vampire faded slowly into mist and then finally into nothing. Reinhardt looked at the empty space and then at Henry who still aimed at Dracula's head even though it was long since gone. 

"You shot at Dracula. Dracula?"

"He called me an 'upstart weakling.' If I could get my hands on his throat I'd show him who's an upstart"

"If you could get your hands on him," Reinhardt said. "If."

"Do you suppose he visited whatever it is that is going ahead of us?"

"Perhaps. In either case, I'm glad to know that he did visit us. It means he's aware that we are here. It may even mean that he considers us an obstacle." Reinhardt turned and continued looking at castle. "I will take first watch. You get some rest."

Henry took off his backpack and pulled out a sheet and snuggled himself against a wall. With his head laid back and his backpack beside him, he reloaded his pistol. Reinhardt saw this and finally got a good look at Henry's pistol. Unlike any other pistol he had ever seen, Reinhardt asked Henry, "Where did you get that pistol from?"

"It was given to me years ago. It belonged to a great hunter."

"He doesn't hunt anymore?"

"His last hunt put him against too strong a prey. He did not survive. All that was left was this gun. Originally there were two but the other he took with him. Since I've had this gun I've taken it apart and put it together again. I've even made some improvements." Henry smiled, "I think Coller would be proud," he whispered to himself. 

"What was that explosive that you used?"

"Just a simple bag with gunpowder. Tied to the top of the bag is a small match. Just rub the match against something hard and then run for cover." Henry gestured at Reinhardt's backpack. "How about you? Do you have any interesting weapons I should know about?"

For the first time Reinhardt grinned slightly. "Not really. My father taught me to use only a small amount of weapons. None of them are especially impressive. Well, except for two. You see since I was old enough to train with real weapons, my father taught me that there are three kinds of whips. There is the chain whip with the morning star at the end." Reinhardt unhooked it from his shoulder and showcased it for Henry. Then he reached into his backpack and pulled out another whip. "Then there is this one, the leather whip."

"Why two different whips?"

"Well there was a time when the members of the Belmont clan only had the leather. Eventually someone introduced the chain and quickly became the standard. That and the fact that there have been many chain whips but only one leather."

"You mean to say that the leather whip in your hands is the same one that"

"Exactly. It has been the same whip for over a hundred years." Reinhardt looked at it in his hands. He had trained with it for years and he still marveled at the fact that his ancestors before him have used the very same whip to vanquish Dracula. Holding it in his hands gave him renewed confidence. "It also has one other 'legendary' distinction."

"What's that?"

"Legend has it that the whip has been known totransform."

"Transform?"

"It is difficult to explain. My father told that the fight between good and evil is always the same. But every so often the battle becomes more difficult. Also sometimes the stake can be raised. The forces of evil might suddenly have an advantage over us. In that case, this whip apparently transforms into a far more powerful weapon. Supposedly it turns into fire."

Henry looked at the whip in Reinhardt's hands. "Let's hope that things never get that desperate. Careful not to burn yourself."

Henry then closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. Reinhardt stood before hole in the wall and stared at the castle. Many of his ancestors stood before the castle as he did now. Possibly they pondered their great destiny. Reinhardt on the other hand had only one thing in his mind, "brother, where are you?"

When Henry awoke, it was not to the traditional sound of birds singing. On this island there are no birds, just bats. He opened his eyes and right above him was the source of the flapping noise that had awakened him. Henry was suddenly hypnotized by the sound of the bat's flapping wings. But the bat was not all that had awakened him. There was also a faint rumbling, then a large explosion. Henry jumped to his feet and followed the sound and the rumbling, guns in hand. 

"Henry!" said a voice. 

Henry found that apart from the hole in the wall there was also an opening from which he could see clear across to the other girder chamber. From what he could see it was a chamber exactly like his. It's purpose to control the second large girder of the castle wall. The only real difference was the fact that there seemed to be quite a lot people on the other side as well as something very large and probably very dangerous. There was no direct way to cross from one to the other and it would take too long to traverse the dangerous stairs downwards and take yet another trip up the other. Henry grabbed a long rope from his backpack and tied it to a fixed stone and lowered himself into the area in between the two girder chambers. Through cracks in the floor Henry could see that the middle area was directly above the area in between the two girders. Henry jumped to avoid the holes in the floor and made his rope into a lasso as he ran. It took two throws but Henry managed to throw the rope around something solid and quickly begin his ascent. By the time he reached the top he had felt another large quake. Henry slowly entered the large girder chamber using the tip of his gun as his eye. He surveyed the chamber with one broad sweep of his gun. In one corner lay a group of children huddled together mostly crying. In the center of the chamber lay the rotting, burning, and disintegrating remains of what looks like a double headed dragon. Finally, standing a good striking distance away from the dead dragon was Reinhardt. He stood motionless until he finally looked up and saw Henry. 

"I think I have found the force that has been plowing a way ahead of us," he said. 

His hand gestured to a small girl of about twelve years of age that lay unconscious before him.   
  
**Chapter 24: The Return Home **   



	25. The Return Home

Chapter 24: The Return Home 

When Carrie awoke she felt a familiar burning sensation in her hands. When she opened her eyes and looked at her hands they pulsating with power. The two men that had been kneeling over Carrie staggered backwards. The older of the two had fiery hair and a red scarf around his neck. The other was blond and had blue eyes. She looked into them and saw something familiar in them. But the suit of armor he wore did not allow her to relax. The battle with the two-headed dragon had drained her. Drained her of what she did not know. Carrie looked past the two men and saw five figures lying asleep together. The children were safe and dreaming, peacefully she hoped. The fire she felt in her hands receded, as did the glow. 

"What is your name?" asked the blond-haired man. 

"Carrie," she whispered exhaustingly. 

"My name is Henry." He then gestured to the man standing next to him, "his name is Reinhardt."

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

"Well, believe it or not, we here for you. We came to rescue you."

Carrie had let loose a grin. "Rescue?"

"We realize we haven't done such a good job, in fact none at all, but it is our job to get you home. At least, that is my job. Reinhardt and I just did not know that one of the children we had to rescue was a sorceress."

"I'm not a sorceress."

"Your actions say otherwise. Perhaps you are a sorceress in training?"

"No." Carrie then sat on her knees and placed her head in her hands. "I just got angry. Very angry." Carrie clutched her head and began to run the past two days through her mind. She remembered the village. Demons, ghosts, and skeleton warriors burned it to the ground. How many people had died? She could not imagine. All she knew was that among those dead was her mother. Her anger was replaced by sadness. She remembered the anger she felt. It had been so powerful. Something inside her had been awakened. A power that she never knew that she had. She looked at the children asleep and became filled with resolve. She would get the children of her town home safely. She stood up and looked at the two men before her. 

"I don't know where I got this power, but I'm getting these children home. All of them."

Henry smiled. "In that respect, we might be able to help you." Henry walked over to a backpack and reached into it. When his hand reemerged he had in his hand a beautiful white jewel. He stretched out his hand for Carrie to see it. 

"What is it?"

"This jewel is our way of sending these children home."

"How?"

"Magic."

Carrie looked at him mistrustfully. "How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"We already sent one of the children back. Her name was Bess."

"Bess?" Carrie seemed relieved for a moment. "I lost track of her when we came into the castle. She ran off."

"Well she's alright now. Look into the crystal and see." Henry closed his eyes and focused his mind on the place where he knew Bess would be resting. After a brief flash Bess appeared on the faces of the jewel. She was resting peacefully, a nun sitting by her side. 

"We can send all of the children to where Bess is. The church mounted this mission. They can all be safe alongside Bess. All they need to do is touch the crystal. Then our mission can be halfway done."

Carrie examined Henry's face. Then she turned to the children. Carrie nodded in agreement. Walking over to where the children slept she woke them up one by one. When they were all awake she addressed them all at once. 

"These men here came to take you home. They know how to do some magic which will make you all appear somewhere safe."

"All you have to do is hold each other's hands. Then one of you just has to touch the crystal," Henry added. 

"You heard him. All of you hold hands." The children then began to hold hands. Carrie smiled inwardly as she noticed that no boy was holding any other boy's hand. It was boy girl, boy girl all the way through. The one closest to her was Edward. 

"All right Edward. You touch the crystal. You always did like being first."

The boy smiled. Then he asked, "Aren't you coming along too?"

"I'll be going soon. I just have to stay awhile. Don't worry, any of you." She smiled and patted him on the head. The boy looked at the jewel. Henry stretched out his hand out so Edward could touch it. Slowly Edward reached out. On the face of the jewel was still the image of a sleeping Bess. When Edward's finger finally touched the crystal a brilliant flash of light filled the chamber. When it dissipated all of the children had gone as though they had never been there. The image on the crystal was the same except that now Bess was joined by all of the other children. On the crystal Carrie could see that the children wasted no time in waking up Bess. Carrie felt relieved. 

"Alright. Now it's your turn," Reinhardt said. 

Carrie turned and protested immediately. "No. I have to go on."

"Not a chance. Your place is with the other children," Reinhardt answered. 

"Don't treat me like a child. I watched demons murder my mother. I watched my home burned to the ground. I even watched as demons made my friends march to this hellhole! Do not lecture me or order me like a little child."

Reinhardt stood silent for a moment. Henry looked at him and considered for a moment as a man that had been put in his place. But what Reinhardt said next assured Henry that this twelve-year-old girl had done nothing but raise her voice. 

"Fine. Disobey one of my instructions or run off on your own and I promise I will cut your legs off and send you through the crystal myself. We were sent here to rescue you, not send you to an early grave."

Now Carrie stood silent. Reinhardt walked away towards the opening in the wall. He stood and watched the castle as though it might suddenly attack. Henry came up behind him.

"A little ruthless aren't we?"

"Have to be."

"I thought I had come to understand you, but now you have surprised me."

"I don't like to endanger the lives of children."

"So cut off her legs and send her through."

"Don't tempt me." Reinhardt stayed silent for a moment. "We might need her. If she has that much power, she could help us get past certain large and very ugly obstructions." Reinhardt turned and walked over to Carrie.

"There are no more children, is that correct Henry?"

"Actually" Carrie said. "You are missing one more."

"How can that be? I counted seven children, including you."

"There is another boy, Malus. I don't know much about him. Somehow I only first met him a few days ago."

"Who were his parents?" Henry asked.

"I don't know. Whoever they were they must have had him locked up because I had never seen him before. But he is here. I saw them take him." 

Reinhardt stood motionless while he considered this new piece of information. Finally, he looked at both Henry and Carrie.

"Alright Carrie. You come with us. However, you do everything we say, no arguments. If I am going to have you, tagging along it will be on my terms. You stick close to either Henry or me. If we get separated then you stay where you are and scream until we find you. Is that understood?"

"Fine."

"Good," Reinhardt said. "Now we move on."

"Where too?" Henry asked.

"The villa."

"Home again," Henry whispered under his breath.

The morning light made the entrance to the villa look both deserted and beautiful at the same time. After years without a single care from anyone, Henry's old home was made into shambles. As they crossed through outer gates immediately in front of the castle wall Henry felt a weird sense of déjà vu and at the sametime as though this was his first time here. When they reached the inner circle Henry felt a part of him unable to continue. The twelve year-old child inside him was afraid. However, brave Ada might have told that he was, he knew better. Under all of that bravery was just a frightened child. 

"In our hearts of hearts, we are all afraid Henry. Overcoming our fears makes us brave. Never forget that."

Those words spoken to him long ago rang in his ears. "Cornell," Henry said to himself. His man-wolf friend forgot his own wisdom. For awhile it seemed that Cornell's words to him were untrue. Now he would prove them again. For Cornell. For Ada. Henry continued to walk ahead and joined Reinhardt and Carrie. Carrie sat by the large fountain whose waters were still. Leaves floated in its base and the shiny Rose brooch that that once stood at it's top had been covered by erosion. The front of the villa was covered with moss and for some reason, the various windows were bordered up with wooden boards. Henry looked around and saw several gravestones placed around the front lawn. He walked over to the one closest to him. Written upon it was a single sentence. 

"Mary, beloved wife."

Carrie heard a soft noise from where Henry was standing. As Reinhardt examined the other gtavestones Carrie crossed over to Henry. Although he wore a helmet, she could tell that he had tears in his eyes. Barely audible, she heard him say, "mother." Henry then moved onto the next grave. This one stood on higher ground and had the appearance of someone important. Henry made fists with his hands as he read the marking on the grave.

"Or De Rais, lord of this mansion."

Finally, Henry walked to the grave that Reinhardt had stood by examining. Henry froze after reading the markings. 

"Henry, beloved son." Reinhardt squeezed his shoulder and merely said, "This place holds many mysteries. We have to move on." Behind them Carrie sat unnoticed on the base of the fountain, playing with one of her own magical orbs of light. 

Reinhardt and Henry both tore down some of the boards that covered various windows. They peered inside but could see nothing. Reinhardt gestured toward the front door and made a sign to Henry that he would go first, then Henry, and finally Carrie. Reinhardt stared at the doorknob as his own hand came closer to it. When he finally touched it he had no need to turn it, the door slowly creaked open.

Inside the villa was very dark. Although Henry and Reinhardt brought down a few boards, very little light entered the mansion. Henry view circled the ground floor of the villa over and over again. He looked up and could see his mother's chandelier still hanging from the roof. It cost a fortune for his father to find the right packaging for it to travel from England to Wallachia undamaged. But he said it was worth it. It was the first thing that his parents bought together in their first home as newly wed. Cobwebs covered the many candle stands that decorated the ground floor. 

"Alright Henry, this is where I need your expertise."

Henry came along side Reinhardt and began to identify the their surroundings. He pointed to several doors to their left, "those are the servants quarters. The door to our right is the servant's entrance. It leads to the garden maze as well as to a long path that can always take us back to the forest." Henry went up a few of the steps of the main stairway and continued. "Up these stairs and to our left is the door that will lead us into the main rooms. The bedrooms, the archive rooms, and the"

A sudden noise interrupted Henry's explanation of the villa. His foot froze above the third step of the stairs. The sound was a mix of the sound of rainfall and that of a small animal rapidly chewing its food. Henry slowly placed his foot firmly on the third step as he looked all around. In his mind he thought how his helmet limited his view. Looking at Reinhardt he found him poised and ready for whatever seemed to be coming. As the seconds ticked away Carrie could feel a growing sense of anxiousness. Ever so slightly she could feel the burning sensation in her hands that marked the start of one of her magical orbs grow. It seemed that with every growing beat of her heart she could feel her power well up inside her. Henry was pulling out his pistol when he saw Carrie's eyes widen. Carrie held back the urge to say, "Oh God."

"What is it?" Henry asked.

Reinhardt shoved Carrie behind him and looked at Henry. Dripping down the side of his helmet and the front of his armor was a stream of a dark liquid. In the dark he could not tell what color, but Reinhardt already knew it was red. As Reinhardt turned his head up he saw a shadow of a figure dive down and push Henry to the ground. Henry was yelling aloud as he felt as though a huge animal were on top of him trying break though his armor. Henry could hear that its razor sharp teeth took bite after bite into his armor without success. But with every bite he heard a shrieking noise. Through the eye openings in his helmet Henry looked into the vampire's eyes. They were bright red, like blood. Henry struggled to get the vampire off of him but its strength was immense. Finally he felt relief when he heard the vampire bellow in pain. He looked to see what had happened and saw that Reinhardt's chain whip was around its neck. As the vampire struggled to release itself from the whip's grasp it scrapped its own skin and blood began to drip. The vampire turned and pulled hard on the whip sending Reinhardt to the floor. Reinhardt lost his grip on the whip and the vampire jumped upwards into the darkness. Reinhardt could not see where the vampire was hiding, but he could see his whip hanging down. Reinhardt resisted the urge to laugh as he saw the handle of his own whip apparently flying if it's own accord. Reinhardt leapt and grabbed hold of it. Instantly he felt himself falling back to the ground and saw that he was not alone. Reinhardt landed on the steps of the main stairway, the vampire, on the other hand, landed on a post at the base of the stairs. Reinhardt stood up and pulled his sword. The vampire lay motionless impaled through the heart. 

"Turn your eyes away Carrie," Reinhardt said as he raised his sword. When she did not, Henry covered her eyes. All Carrie heard was the swooping sound of Reinhardt's sword and the sound the flesh being severed. Henry looked at Reinhardt with almost admiration as he held up the vampire's head. This was living proof of what made the Belmonts renowned among vampire hunters. Henry removed his hand from Carrie's eyes after Reinhardt had thrown the head into a darkened corner. Carrie immediately marched towards Reinhardt.

"Cover my eyes?"

"I was trying to spare a disgusting sight."

"Don't bother. I will decide what I can and cannot see. I am not a child and will not be treated like one. Do you think I will not be leaving this hellish place without laying upon far worse things?"

"Perhaps. But I would save you from as many as I can. Each horrible sight will claim a part of your soul. I would rather"

Both Reinhardt and Carrie turned to their left. A growling sound emerged from the darkness that Reinhardt had thrown the head into. Slowly the figure of another vampire emerged from it, in its hands was the head of its fellow vampire. Reinhardt was preparing to shove Carrie behind him when Carrie pushed herself in front if him and outstretched her hands. Bright orbs formed around her wrists as she said, "I will not be treated like a child!" The orbs shot out from Carrie sent the vampire flying through the door and wall of one of the servant's quarters. Reinhardt stared in disbelief. 

"Please be careful in which direction your point those hands," he said looking down at her. A grin appeared on Carrie's face. Reinhardt almost grinned with her but then he heard a rustling sound from the hole that Carrie had made. He gestured for both Henry and Carrie to stay still while he checked the room.  
  
Slowly Reinhardt moved into the room through the smoke and the darkness. He squinted his eyes but it was not long before he saw the source of the rustling sound. Reinhardt looked upwards and saw a little more than a dozen figures hanging almost silently from the roof. A few wore clothes much like that of a common villager, others were bare and had large flapping wings. Reinhardt focused on one that was hanging directly above him. The vampire's face was still, apparently asleep. Reinhardt became transfixed with its stoic expression. Then he saw it. Reinhardt at first could not see it but then it he realized, its nose was twitching. The vampire exploded into life and dropped down onto the ground. It stood facing Reinhardt for a moment as though it were stretching its body and preparing to hunt him down. Reinhardt felt in his blood that these vampires had been hanging in a sort of hibernation for a long time. Perhaps eight years? Reinhardt took advantage of the vampire's stiff bones and ran back to Carrie and Henry. 

"Henry! We need out of this area, now!"

Henry nodded and began to lead them up the stairs. As Henry and Carrie went up the stairs Reinhardt looked back to see the progress of the vampires. Reinhardt ducked as pieces from two of the other doors came flying towards him. Reinhardt watched in horror as vampires began to slowly crawly along the walls. In all of their eyes was the same blood red color. 

Henry and Carrie reached the door to the far left of the second floor within seconds. With pistol drawn Henry kicked the door open. The door opened into a short flame lit hallway just as he remembered. Henry motioned Carrie inside and told her to not go through the next door. Henry waited patiently as Reinhardt came running up the stairs. As Reinhardt made it through the door Henry saw in his peripheral vision a large hand reaching up from the first floor. Henry looked as a hairy bat like head rose from below. Henry stared for moment then fired his pistol. The vampire's head flew off its neck and left a headless corpse hanging from the railing. Reinhardt jammed the door shut as Henry came in. Carrie already on the other side of the hall was trying to open the door but with little success. Henry and Reinhardt both rammed the door and it budged slightly. As they rammed it a second time, the first door opened slowly and vampires began to cram into the room just as slowly. The vampires were moving like small ants. All three rushed through the door and the men rammed the door shut twice, just as they had opened it. Behind them Carrie was already exploring the room they were in. Reinhardt looked at Henry puzzled by the sudden silence and by the lack of effort from the vampires. Henry walked down the small set of steps and joined Carrie in walking around the room. 

"You lived here once?"

"Yes. Years ago."

Henry looked at Carrie and knew what she was asking. "This was my mother's personal garden. She tended to it herself." The garden was a circular room that had a skylight above that let the morning light creep in. In the center was a pillar with an octagonal base and flowers planted in it. Henry sat down on the steps and watched as Reinhardt examined the room closely. Carrie stood by Henry and watched. Henry felt as though Carrie was piercing through his armor and studying his face. Henry could see her eyes filled with empathy but somehow cold with sympathy. 

Reinhardt looked at the red roses that were planted in the octagonal base. He felt something odd about them. Reinhardt was about to pluck one out of it's soil when he felt a cold breeze come all over him. Slowly he turned as he saw out of the corner of his eye a figure materialize slowly from grey mist. The mist took on the shape of a woman. She had blonde hair and wore a red dress that had a sort of bat-like appearance. Her skin was pale and in her hand she carried a watering pail. She walked slowly towards the flowers. Reinhardt stood his ground as she came towards him. 

"I wish to water the roses. Please step aside."

Reinhardt slowly moved out of the way and let her pass. Henry and Carrie looked at her transfixed. Both of the felt as something in the room changed because of this woman's presence. 

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Reinhardt asked. 

She looked at him quizzically as though she did not understand the question. "I am Rosa. I look after these white roses." 

"White roses?" Reinhardt scanned the room and found no such white roses. He looked at the watering pail she had in her hand. Slowly she tipped it over the flowers and a red colored liquid began to pour over the roses. 

"You are a vampire." 

"Why have you no fear? None but vampires and demons live here. Wandering carelessly in this place will soon cost you your life and the life of your friends as well." 

"I cannot disobey my father's teachings." 

"I am a vampire. You are a hunter of vampires. Why do you not attack?"

"Another of my father's teachings."

"Such sentimentality will cost your life. I will forget I saw you, take your friends and flee now."

"The destiny of my blood means I must destroy Dracula." 

Rosa looked down at the roses for a moment then she looked into Reinhardt's eyes for a moment before turning away. "As you will... First you must go to the archive room. The key to the archives..." Rosa stopped for a moment as though to remember something. "Ah yes, a previous adventurer took it." 

Reinhardt looked back to Henry and Carrie who were still standing in silence.

"The vampires who were attacking you came from a village that was attacked eight years ago and brought here to serve. With no one to feed off of and no way to get off the island they were overcome with bloodlust. In order to survive they had to put themselves in hibernation. Your presence has awakened them. They are mindless, savage, and thirsty. I can help you no more so go." She paused and looked at the three of them and landed her eyes on Reinhardt. Do not lose your life too quickly..."

Rosa turned and slowly walked away. As she walked closer to the wall she became more and more transparent until finally she disappeared like mist. Reinhardt stared at the spot where she had disappeared. 

"A previous adventurer?" Reinhardt said.

"Could she be lying?" Henry asked. 

Reinhardt turned and walked towards the only other door in the garden. "Where does this lead?"

"The bedrooms," Henry said.

"Shouldn't have said don't lose your 'lives' too quickly?" Carrie commented looking at Reinhardt.

"Reinhardt looked at her and merely said aloud, "Stay alert."

Through the door was another small staircase that led to the third floor of the villa. Once again the walls were decorated with various paintings of different people and scenery. As they walked up the stairs Henry would every so often stare at a painting of a person. If he was saying something under his breath, Reinhardt could not hear it. At the top of the stairs was the beginning of a hallway with several doors. Henry stared into the hallway for a moment and Reinhardt felt that he saw something wrong.

"What is it?" he asked him. 

"I don't know." Henry struggled to try and see what it was that bothered him so about this hall. He looked at the walls. The walls never had paintings on them so nothing was missing from them. The roof was not missing a chandelier. Henry walked further into the hall and looked down at the floor to see the sun shining down through the windows. Henry looked at the image he saw being projected onto the floor. It was the image of a knight standing tall with his sword in both hands pointing downwards. The image being projected on the ground made it seem as though the knight was sleeping. Henry looked at the knight's closed eyes and remembered. 

"These are not the windows I remember from childhood." Then the eyes on the knight slowly opened and the mouth curved into an angry frown. The sound of glass shattering echoed through the hall, as glass knights seemed to break through their reflections on the floor. Henry and Reinhardt jumped back. Henry fell to the ground as he felt the sharp thrust of a sword strike his armor. From the ground he pulled out his pistol and fired at the glass knight. The nearest knight burst into shards of glass. The second glass knight raised it's sword and went charging towards him and ran directly into another bullet. Henry became showered by sharps pieces of glass. Henry stood up and wiped the pieces of glass off of him. 

"Are you alright?" Reinhardt asked.

"My armor is holding up. It would just be interesting to know the reason why the demons we have run into so far seem t attack the man in armor first."

Reinhardt patted him on the shoulder. "Which way to the archives?"

Henry pointed down the hall. "I think we should check all the rooms before moving on," Carrie said. "Remember that we have to keep an eye out for Malus."

"She has a point." Reinhardt said. "Let's try the first door over here."

"That's the guest room. I knew a friend who slept there once."

Carrie walked over and opened the door before they could. Reinhardt had a look of dissatisfaction on his face. He was intent on keeping the girl safe. Inside the room it was just like Henry said, a guestroom. The front area was a small set of chairs with a table to sit around for pleasant conversation. The back area had a good-sized bed. In the back and to the right was another door. This door Reinhardt reached before Carrie could.

"Back" he said. Carrie looked at him and said, "I sincerely doubt there is someone waiting specifically behind that door just for us to open it."

"She's right Reinhardt. That is just the reading room for guests."

Henry moved toward the door. "Don't worry Reinhardt, I don't think there are vampires lurking in every corner. The woman in the rose garden said that they have been asleep for eight years." Reinhardt stood where he was and watched as Henry turned the knob on the door. Reinhardt clutched the hilt of his sword. "Henry is still young and has a lot to learn about this place," Reinhardt thought. The door opened and Henry suddenly jumped backwards. Reinhardt remained exactly where he was but relaxed his grip on his sword. From behind the door emerged a large figure that at a glimpse towered over Henry. Henry recovered and had his gun out in a second. The three of them stood together as the figure began to circle them.

"Don't move! Not even a finger," the man said. In full light Henry could see what or who it was that was assailing him. The elder man had white hair and wore a large overcoat. In his left hand he carried a large luggage bag, and in his right he held a wooden cross. Mounted on his back he carried a huge cross apparently made from wood. He waved the cross in his hand in the faces of the trio. When he had come full circle he addressed Henry. 

"You all appear to be genuine humans."

"Did you really think we looked like vampires?" Henry asked.

Looking insulted, "Have you ever seen a vampire before? Have you?"

"In this place how do you I wouldn't."

He then walked over to Carrie and gave her a stiff look. Breathing heavily he moved on to Reinhardt. "I am Charlie Vincent, the mightiest of all vampire killers." Reinhardt stood and was not impressed, but Vincent apparently did not want him to be impressed. Such was the confidence in his tone and his manner. The man believed that he had the title. "You look like villagers... were you lost in the forest?" 

"No, were not lost." Reinhardt said.

"I wasn't speaking of you. I meant the fearful one in armor and the little girl."

"Fearful one?" Henry said.

"You presume too much! I'm not a small child so do not try to treat me like one." Carrie replied.

"Really?" Vincent laughed.

"I am Reinhardt Schneider. We have come on a mission." 

"A mission, woodsman?"

"Woodsman?"

"Yes, I know you are not from the village. Look at those arms, the color of your skin. No, you live in the woods. Perhaps you go into the village for business. Well, there is no business for any of you here. Be gone, while you live."

"Listen to me, we are not a bunch of villagers who have gotten themselves lost. We are here to destroy Dracula and any of his minions that stand in our way!" Reinhardt said, his voice giving away that his patience was wearing a bit thin.

"Don't talk nonsense! Leave Dracula to me. He is not the sort of opponent for an amateur like you, Woodsman!" 

"The vampire is not a foe to be taken lightly and especially not by an overly presumptuous old man." 

"Obstinate youth! I will give you one more warning. Leave this place without delay! Do you understand?" 

"The only place we are leaving is this room. If you wish to live you may either leave this island or follow us."

"Very well. I see that there is no convincing you. Let it be on your own heads."

"Do you have a key?" Carrie said abruptly.

Vincent at first seemed confused then he responded. "Ah yes, at dawn I spied a young woman in the rose garden. In the midst of this nest of foes, she was calmly tending the roses. When she disappeared she left this key. My intuition tells me it is worthless. Take it if you wish." 

Reinhardt accepted the key and handed it to Henry. "It's the key to the archive room." He said.

"Something else I will tell you. When I entered the garden maze a giant suddenly attacked me. I couldn't believe it. However hard I fought, I couldn't harm him. He was truly invincible... I don't frighten easily, but my blood ran cold as ice. I tell you again, beware, because there are such things."

  
Reinhardt, Henry and Carrie stood outside in the hall. Reinhardt turned to Henry and asked him, "what do you think of that story about the garden? Any idea what he could be talking about?"

"Not a clue. I don't seem to remember any giants when I was last here. Of course then, every one was a giant to me."

"What are we planning on doing next?" Carrie asked.

"Rosa said to go to the Archive room." Reinhardt said.

"Yes but I don't think we should trust everything that Rosa says. She is a vampire and not exactly on our side." Henry said.

"You have a point. That is why you and Carrie will go on to the garden maze and investigate this giant. Notice I said investigate. I don't want both of you to tackle this giant between the two of you. See where it is that he resides, see if you can measure its strengths and weaknesses, and then you wait for me. I'll head to the archives to see what it is that Rosa wanted us to see there."

"Thank you," Carrie said.

"For what?"

"For not saying anything about taking care of me or keeping me from danger. It's the first time you haven't sounded like you think of me as a child."

"If you want to be treated like everyone else, fine. Anyway, I loathe the idea of having anything in common with that stubborn old man in there."

Carrie smiled for what seemed like the first time since she had been with them Reinhardt thought. Henry told Reinhardt how to reach the archive room and how they were going to reach the garden maze. Reinhardt then set off down the hall while Henry and Carrie proceeded into the third door of the hall. The room tat they walked into was a large one.

"What is this room?" Carrie asked Henry.

"This used to be where we would invite guests into for conversation."

"A talking room?"

Henry thought about it for a moment. "Wellyes. You see that was the custom. When you have guests you invite them into a room where you can talk to them and entertain them for awhile."

"My home never had a room like this." Carrie examined the room closely. It was bigger than any room she had ever seen in her village. The room had two chandeliers lighting it. It also had four windows with balconies carefully covered in red linen drapes. To the leftmost side of the room was a smaller section dived by two thin pillars. In this smaller area was a drawer set with an odd golden head bust hanging above it. What animal or creature it represented Carrie did not know. To the sidewall where the entrances were, the room had two entrances, a row of chairs were lined up apparently for the guests. At the opposite end was a door that Henry stood by. 

"Did you have many guests?"

"Actually no. I think that in all our time here we had one. And that was at the end." Henry looked at Carrie. He saw in her his same curiosity, the curiosity of a child. It was not a bad thing. Henry hoped that he still had it. "Come on. The garden is through here."

Rienhardt entered the room at the end of the hall. That room was very darkly lit and filled with cobwebs. The room was apparently the dining room as it had a large table for six. The room also had a large mirror with a table for guests to serve themselves drinks. On the opposite side was another door that Henry had told him about. Reinhardt had barely taken a step forward to open the other door when the door he had come in through slammed open. A figure rolled in and then immediately slammed the door shut again. When the figure turned to face Reinhardt his whip was already unwrapped and ready and his hand was on his sword hilt.   
"He...hel...help! This place swarms with demons. You have entered the castle of hell!" 

Reinhardt saw that it was a man dressed in plain clothes. His clothing seemed somewhat torn but relatively unharmed. It seemed as though he had not been here that long. "Calm down. You're safe right now. Tell me who you are? Where are you from?"

"If you value your life, you will flee this place now..." 

Reinhardt thought hard to figure where this man could be from. Henry told him that the only ones taken from the village were the children. No other village had been attacked, so who was he? Suddenly something caught Reinhardt's attention in the corner of his eye. From a vase of flowers on the table in front of the mirror fell a single rose. Reinhardt watched it fall slowly and then suddenly he felt himself being drawn. Reinhardt's well-trained instincts suddenly relaxed and forgot about the man who had stormed in. Reinhardt turned and looked into the mirror. He looked into the mirror and stared at the room that was empty except for him. Reinhardt turned quickly as his body seemed to free itself from its own trance. Reinhardt leapt to the side as the man lunged at him like an animal. The face of the man was suddenly swept away by a light mist to reveal the distorted face of a vampire. The vampire laughed and growled at the same time. Its voice was only slightly human. "You smell different from previous adventurers... Come to me, I will taste your blood!" Reinhardt felt himself moving backwards as the vampire grabbed him by both arms.

When Carrie and Henry reached the bottom of the stairs, they both saw a piece of paper lying on the ground. Carrie looked around and saw that the tall room comprised of only the staircase from which they came, a knight's armor standing in the corner, and the door leading to the maze garden. In such a spacious area the paper seemed as though it had been placed there. Henry first inspected the knight's armor that he seemed not to recognize. When he was finished he knelt down next to Carrie by the rolled up piece of paper. 

"You don't recognize the knight's armor?" she said.

"No. My father found a knight's suit of armor in the ruins once. But that is in the archive room." Henry looked back at the ominous looking knight. "I don't like that. I expected to be surprised at what I found in the castle, not in my own home."

"What about this paper?"

"It seems just a little out of the ordinary just laying here." Henry extended out his hand to reach for it when a smooth and extremely formal voice spoke aloud. 

"Pray excuse me, but have you seen a scroll hereabouts?"

Both Henry and Carrie turned their heads quickly. Henry's hand slowly drew itself closer to his sword hilt. Carrie closed her hands and made fists. Both stood together somewhat surprised at the sight before them. A tall thin man dressed in an impeccable gentleman's suit holding a suitcase in his hand. Swing from left to right in the man's shadow was a long tail whose tip barely touched the ground. The man wore a green hat that matched his suit and had darkly shaded glasses covering his eyes. His face seemed slightly unshaven that was the only suspicious detail on the man. Everything else about him seemed to make him appear just as a perfect gentleman would. Even his tone was calm and assertive. Henry and Carrie both looked down at the paper on the floor and then looked back to the man.

"Ah, there it is. This is most important to my business. Did either of you touch it?" the man said with a gleam going across his glasses. Henry and Carrie both nodded. "Forgive my rudeness. My name is Renon. I am what you would call a demon."

The sound of the word immediately struck a cord in both Henry and Carrie. Henry drew his pistol in a split second and had it aimed at Renon's head. The demon slowly raised his hands in a pleading fashion. "Wait, wait! I am not an enemy! My role is to provide useful items for adventurers to the dark castle. I agree it is shameful for a demon to be working, but one needs gold even in hell these days."

"What is your business with us, demon?" Henry asked.

"That is surely up to you. I only offer my services, for a price. Take that scroll with you on your journey. Should you ever feel the need to purchase my services, just call my name." Henry looked at the scroll in his hand. 

"If we choose not to?"

"Then I wish you much luck on your journey. You will need it." A sudden ring filled the room. Renon pulled out a watch from his vest jacket and looked at it. "Dear me, is that the time? It seems we have talked too long. Remember, summon me whenever you need." Suddenly a smile crept across his face. "I have a special for the both of you. I can send the both of your directly to where Dracula is if that is what you wish. The price would merely be the ownership of your soul. Or perhaps it could be a lease? Interested?"

"Begone demon." Carrie said before Henry could. She raised her fists and aimed them at him. The glow slowly began in her fists. As the glow grew brighter Renon bowed his head and doffed his hat to them. Then he disappeared like so many creatures on the island do, slowly.

Reinhardt ignored the pain he felt as the vampire again rammed his back into the wall. By this time the rumbling had brought the chandelier crashing down. Reinhardt had managed to keep the vampire's head locked under his armpit for the past five minutes. Reinhardt relaxed his muscles and continued to ignore the pain. Slowly he gathered up his energy in the arm he used to hold the vampire. The arm he begun to move toward a stake he had in his backpack. When he felt hilt of the stake Reinhardt spun his whole body round and with all his force threw the vampire in the direction of the mirror. Reinhardt then leapt onto the table in front of the mirror and thrust his stake into the vampire's heart and through the mirror. The vampire howled in pain. With its mouth still wide open, Reinhardt drew his sword and behead the growling vampire. Reinhardt looked into the mirror curiously. Blood slowly dripped down as though it came from nowhere at all. The vampire's corpse cast no reflection in the mirror. The effect somehow made Reinhardt think of his brother. It would surely be something that would interest him. Reinhardt cast a glance at the room he and the vampire had just destroyed before proceeding onto the next door. Through that door was yet another small room and finally the door to the archive room. When Reinhardt entered it, he was instantly struck by it massiveness. The archive room was filled shelf after shelf of books. Also the walls were decorated with artifacts collected from the ruins of Dracula's ancient castle. The time and work spent to collect so many things must have been excruciating. Henry's father must have been a dedicated man Reinhardt thought. Reinhardt went deeper into the archive searching for some clue to what he should find there. Then something caught Reinhardt's eye. The room was filled with many workbenches for someone to study at. In one far off corner a workbench had a large book laid open on it. To the side of the bench lay the skeletal remains of someone. Reinhardt approached the bench and stared down at the remains. The bones lay in an unusual manner over an up side down work stool. One of the stool's legs was going through the area of the human heart. Reinhardt patted away some of the dust on the book and read what was written. 

"It has been one day since I killed my wife. I drained her body completely of bloodAll the while she muttered how much she loved, all the while I murdered her. When I finished I felt it. I felt her inside me. Now I know how I was fooled. Now I know what I have done and what I must do. The world of death is a dark and destructive thing. It took me away, and I took my wife with me. I tried to live like this but I cannot. I am haunted. I stalked the halls of my mansion looking for blood to drink but found none. I even looked in the garden but found only my old friend Victor still tending my maze. I looked into his dead eyes and saw what an abomination he had been turned into. Not alive, not dead. How could such a thing be done to him? I leave here the key to the garden maze so that no one may enter and lay eyes upon him. I hope one day he may go free from this place.  
  
I thank my wife for loving me even as I killed her. Before I had killed her I had a grave prepared for her. I made sure to bury her in it but I wish that I could bury her off of this damned island. I had also prepared a grave for my son Henry. In my madness I thought to take him as well. God blessed him with the chance to escape. I hope he does. If God will listen I will pray for him. I love him. But now, as I write these words, I know I sit on my end." 

Reinhardt closed the book. On the cover were the initials, "J. A. Oldrey." Underneath the book were two keys, a large one with a tree engraved on it and a plain one made of copper. Reinhardt clutched them in his hand. Reinhardt squeezed the keys in his hand as he felt the pain of another family broken by this island. 

Outside the sun shone brightly. With so many of the windows boarded up, none of them had been able to truly see what a beautiful day it was. Now Carrie and Henry stood before the entrance to the maze garden. The years had been truly kind it. Henry looked at it and felt as though no time had passed since he had left. He almost imagined his father and mother to come out of a corner in the maze. Carrie's presence was the only thing that anchored him in reality, her presence and her thoughtful question.

"Why did you have a maze behind your mansion?"

Henry stood for a few moments pondering that himself. Finally he looked down at her and responded, "father was rich. Rich people can afford to build uncommon things in their backyard."

"Right." Although her tone gave away that she was unconvinced that he knew the answer himself. "How do we plan on getting in? That gate looks locked."

Henry tried the gate and Carrie was proved right. It was locked. He considered just shooting the lock but then thought better of it. With out a word Henry jumped onto the gate and began to climb it. He turned back to Carrie when he was half way up. "Can you make it?"

"Of course I can." She then also jumped onto the gate and began to climb up. Under her breath she muttered, "kids stuff."

When they were on the other side, Henry made a signal to be quiet. Inside the maze they had two choices, straight ahead or to the left. Henry decided to go straight ahead. He already had an idea where he wanted to go. As Henry walked off Carrie looked back through the gaps in the gate. On either side fo the gate was the statue of a dog. Their eyes seemed to follow Carrie. Oddly enough, she felt as though they had been looking away from the gate, not through it. Henry went straight ahead into a central area. The area had a sort of tower with a staircase. It was apparently there in case anyone got lost. Henry at first seemed to know where he was heading to, but then he suddenly began to head somewhere else. Finally he stopped and signaled for her to stop and listen. Carrie heard a faint noise. It was odd, like nothing she had heard before. It sounded like some kind of machine. Carrie followed Henry deeper into the maze until finally they found the source of the sound. In a desolate dead end corner of the maze, Henry and Carrie found the reason for the maze being so well maintained, Victor, the gardener.

Reinhardt turned the rusty lock of the garden maze and it slowly creaked open. He entered cautiously and wondered where first to search for his companions. The garden was so silent that when Reinhardt heard the rustle of a few bushes he instinctively headed toward them. Reinhardt carefully headed towards the left. The maze merely branched off into a dead end. But Reinhardt knew he heard something. Down the corridor to his right was a door that he would try momentarily. Reinhardt crossed over a small bridge until he reached the dead end. He looked around before he turned to try the door he had seen before. Then he heard the sound again. 

"Who's there?" he said aloud.

Then out of the corner of a standing bush, a small figure crept out. It was a small boy. He had blue hair and blue eyes. He wore a bright purple suit with pig tails. 

"Who are you?"

Reinhardt would normally not respond to such a question from an unknown child who just appeared from behind a bush, but Reinhardt had a good idea of who this boy was. "Reinhardt," he said to the boy. "I was sent here to bring you home."

"Home? My homethey burned the village. My home... My mother and father too..." tears ran down the boys cheeks.

Although he knew it already, he asked the boy his name. "Malus," the boy responded. "Are you alone, Malus? Have you seen anyone else. Did you stay hidden from anyone else like you did from me?"

"No. I don't know how I got here. They took all the children to the castle. The devil in the black cloak was looking for a certain child... And then, then... My head hurts... I can't remember..."

Henry walked slowly towards the large figure. From the back alone, Henry felt that he had forgotten the past eight years. He was back where he had been before. His parents lived happily here in the villa and Victor took care of the garden. Unfortunately his parents were both probably long dead and Victor was no longer the man he was. His large figured turned and revealed something large and glistening in the light. Henry stared in horror as a sharp yet rugged blade emerged from a box that was attached to his forearm. Henry finally saw the gray color of his skin and the blank expression of his face. Henry saw that his body seemed to have been sewn back together like a doll and yet still maintained the appearance of great strength. Victor looked at Henry for a moment before his hand reached for a short string coming out of the box in his forearm. He then pulled the string and the box came alive with motion and noise. The blade seemed to suddenly begin moving. As the blade pulsed Henry felt his own heart beat pulsing from his right arm. Henry fought the fear surging through his body and raised his left arm, gun in hand. The bullet bounced off of the box coming out of his arm and went through his shoulder blades. Instead of blood merely puffs of smoke arose from the hole in Victor's body. Carrie grabbed Henry by the other arm and dragged him away just as Victor swung down his mechanized blade. Henry and Carrie began to run away as Victor began to walk menacingly towards them. With every turn of a corner Victor seemed only a few steps behind him. For a brief moment Carrie stopped and fired one of her magical orbs. Victor fell to the floor and a loud crash was heard all over the garden. Henry patted Carrie on the shoulder. 

"Wonderful." Henry said. A moment passed and then slowly Victor stirred. Henry's expression quickly changed from victorious to shocked. "He never knew how to give up," Henry said as he led Carrie away. 

Reinhardt was preoccupied by the loud noise he had heard a moment ago. In a few seconds Reinhardt had almost forgotten about Malus. 

"Friends?"

Malus' voice stirred him back to reality. "Yes," he responded. 

"Are they in danger?" he asked.

"I hope not." Reinhardt looked at Malus and said, "let's go. Remember to stick close to me. Anything happens, don't run off." Malus nodded his head and followed Reinhardt. Together they walked out of the dead end where Malus had been hiding. When they had passed the small bridge they both heard the sound of dogs. They both stopped in their tracks. From the walls of the maze jumped out two dogs. The dogs landed several feet away from them. Reinhardt stared at them and realized what they were. The dogs were statues. Where as before they were just delicately carved statues to be admired for their life-like appearance, now they were to life-like. Malus caught onto Reinhardt's hand and tugged at him. Malus ran towards the door nearest to them and pushed it open. As they went through Reinhardt quickly drew close. Reinhardt then grabbed Malus's hand and began to run. Behind them the dogs jumped through the walls around the door. Reinhardt and Malus ran deeper into the maze making lefts and rights at random. Finally both of them ran into something large and hard at the turn of one corner. Reinhardt unwrapped his whip from his waist and prepared himself. Then he breathed a sign of relief as the frightened figures of Henry and Carrie faced them down with guns and magical orbs poised. 

"Reinhardt!" They exclaimed. 

Carrie then saw Malus and was filled with joy. "You found him!" she said. Carrie hugged Malus as though he was a close loved one who had been lost. Malus remained in Carrie's arms until he yelled and pushed her down to the ground. A dog came flying out of the wall behind them. Slowly walking from one of the corridors of the maze was the other dog accompanied by Victor. 

"It appears as though both of us found trouble." Henry said. 

Reinhardt saw that they only had one direction to go the only corridor that wasn't blocked by one of them. He immediately felt as though they were being corralled into someplace. Unfortunately they had no choice, it was up to Dracula now where they went. 

"Let's move, fast." Reinhardt said leading the way down the open corridor. Taking up the back position was Henry. As he checked his weapon he said to himself, "this feels very familiar." Victor and the dogs led tem deep into the maze in a direction that Henry remembered all to well. Finally they reached a section with a door. The door had a crest laid into it. One by one they entered this area. Reinhardt led the way and was already pushing the crest laid door open. As he opened it Henry called out to Reinhardt, "it's a trap. They want us in there."

"I know." Reinhardt said. Henry didn't feel any better. As Henry was the last one in he was surprised as Victor came menacingly closer until suddenly he closed the door on them. Henry, just out of curiosity, tried to open the door Victor had just closed on them. It would not budge. Henry looked at Reinhardt and shook his head. Slowly they all walked down the dark lit stairs of the old dungeon

Malus and Carrie stuck close together as they went down. Reinhardt took the lead and Henry covered the back. As Henry went down he already had a mind at what they would find there waiting for them. Henry remembered the last time he went down these very steps. "Do you seek death," asked the man who had stood before them. The man had been Gilles De Rais. From what Henry had been able to gather, this man was like a grandfather to him. His role in the scheme of things is still a mystery, his current whereabouts even more, for as they reached the bottom of the steps he was considerably absent. 

"Reinhardt, be wary, my previous visit here was not an easy one." Henry said.  
  
Reinhardt's eyes circled the giant chamber searching for where the attack might come, from the front, behind, or perhaps from inside the darkened dungeons at their sides. A sucking sound reached his ears and his attention shot upwards.

"Perhaps from above," he whispered to himself. His hand went to his whip and he unrolled it from around him. They had all reached the center and each one of them prepared themselves for an imminent attack. Carrie's fists began to glow and Malus stood closer to her. He looked all around him as though he were a child in a zoo. 

The body that fell from the ceiling landed on Carrie and Malus, causing her orbs to fire away at one of the dungeons on the side. Carrie screamed and all at once the whole group seemed to enter a state of emergency. Both Reinhardt and Henry began to move and react as though they ad been attacked, jumping and turning 360o. Both seemed to suddenly think to fast and neither seemed to come to the simple conclusion that what Carrie needed was that someone get the body off of her. Finally Malus, who was not totally underneath the body, dragged it off of Carrie. 

"It's alright. It is only a body," Malus said half grinning.

"Only a body?" Henry said. 

Carrie looked at both of them, "couldn't either of you have stopped being so cautious and just help Malus get the body off me?" Then Carrie looked at Malus and said "Thank you." Carrie then froze when she felt something-cold drop onto the tip of her nose. She actually screamed when she saw Malus' face splattered in red. A large figure dropped from the ceiling and crash onto the ground pushing all of the adventurers to the ground. The large figure dashed onto the body that had previously fallen. The figure was yet another vampire. It's bat-like head stunned Carrie's eyes each time she saw one. Now it was worse as she watched the creature sink it's large fangs into the female body that had fallen on top of her. The fangs sunk all the way in and soon blood began to seep from where the vampire had bitten. All the while Malus stood transfixed and fascinated by the sight. The vampire was suddenly thrown from the woman's corpse. The crack of a whip was heard and Reinhardt stood tall next to Carrie, whip in hand and eyes resolute to kill the prey before him. Then the vampire spoke in it's half-man, half animal voice. 

"It is very rude to interrupt someone who is enjoying his meal...," the vampire said licking the blood from his 'lips.' "Or perhaps I shall I think differently...like the main dishis served?" 

Behind Reinhardt another vampire dropped from the ceiling and surprised him. The others stood themselves and formed a circle

"You will all die here!!" The first vampire said.

To the surprise of them all the female body that moments ago had been a victim of the vampire was now standing up on its own flashing its new and quickly grown fangs to Carrie. The female vampire seemed to crawl quickly on the floor and began to move towards Carrie. Carrie immediately began to charge her magical powers for the vampire.

Henry meanwhile fired several shots from his pistol and sent the vampire to the ground momentarily. Henry leapt onto the vampire and pulled his sword out. He thrust the sword into the vampire's heart and then pressed his pistol onto the vampire's neck. He looked into the vampires eyes that were wide like that of an animal yet somewhat hypnotizing. In his mind he remembered staring into similar eyes eight years before as his home was invaded by these vampires. The thought of these creature having overrun his home broke the vampire's hold over his concentration and Henry squeezed the trigger. His armor was painted red with blood. Henry had blown the vampire's neck clear away and now the vampire's head rolled along the ground of the dungeon. 

Meanwhile Reinhardt faced off the first speaking vampire. It leapt for him but Reinhardt ducked and rolled under him. Reinhardt spun around and whipped the vampire's back while he still flew in the air. The vampire had landed further away than he intended and face first. Reinhardt pressed this advantage and ran towards him. When the vampire began to stand itself, Reinhardt swung his whip and wrapped it around it's neck. The vampire howled like an animal as his neck began to smoke ad smolder. The whip seemed to burn him.

"It c...cannot be! I, a vampire defeated by a mere human!?" 

Reinhardt wrapped a part of the whip around his fist and tugged at it hard. The vampire's head pooped off of it's body. The head rolled and Reinhardt caught it with his foot. Reinhardt looked to Henry who then began to see how Carrie was doing. Carrie fired many of her orbs but to no avail. The female vampire crawled at such high speeds at she could not seemed to kill her. Reinhardt pulled from his back pack a glass bottle with a bright blue liquid inside. 

"Stand still," he said. 

Carrie instinctively stood still. The vampire moved closer and closer towards her and Malus. Malus grasped her wrist and looked towards Reinhardt who was in mid throw. Malus pulled Carrie out of the way of what Reinhardt threw and left the vampire square in it's path. The glass bottle crashed onto the vampire's face and she erupted into a purplish flame as holy water consumed her body. The scream of the vampire echoed throughout the dungeon. Reinhardt stared upwards as he heard a flapping sound echo behind the scream. Henry ran to Carrie's and Malus' aid. 

"Are you two alright?"

"Mostly," Carrie said. "That vampire was so fast. I need to practice how to shoot faster."

Henry smiled, "you will get your practice soon enough I think." He then turned to Malus. "How about you, are you alright?"

He looked at Carrie. "Mostly." Then Malus began to wipe away some of the blood that had fallen on his face.

Henry walked back to Reinhardt who was still looking upwards. Reinhardt looked at Henry who then also began to look upwards. Reinhardt left Henry looking and walked towards one of the dungeon walls. Reinhardt reached up and grabbed one of the torches lit with the strange purple flame. He took his place again beside Henry and with all his strength threw the torch up into the air. Henry watched as the torch went higher and higher. When the torch struck the ceiling, the dungeon was filled with a loud moan. Henry watched shockingly as the torch revealed the hundreds of vampires hanging above them. The torch had struck a hibernating vampire who recived a very hot awakening. The vampire's neighbors on te other hand awoke just in time not to get burned .One by one, the vampires awoke and dropped down from above to surround the group of adventureres. One of the vampires dropped behind Carrie. She quickly sensed that something was behind her and so Carrie turned. She felt as though her heart had exploeded inside her chest when she turned around only to see a large vampire jumping towards her. If not for Malus dragging her to the side the vampire would surely have had her instead of the floor. 

"What in God's name do we do now?" exclaimed Henry.

"How did you get out the last time?" Reinhardt asked.

"We didn't really get out. We were trown out through a hole underneath that coffin."

"Then lets head for it." Reinhardt looked around at the hoards of vampires that were closing in on them. "Allright. Everyone stick close. Henry, you and I take the front and pave the way to the coffin. Carrie and Malus, you two cover our backs. No one let anything get past you!"

Slowly Reinhardt and Henry began to make the way for the group to move forward. Henry exercised his best marksmanship to try and blow a hole in the head of every vampire that he could see. Reinhardt using his whip pushed them backward sometimes wrapping his whip around a vampire's neck and snapping the head off. Carrie and Malus meanwhile just stuck close to the backsides of the two warriors. For some reason fear crept all over Carrie. She felt helpless and vulnerable. More than that she felt threatened. Up until now anger and adrenaline kept her going and allowed her to make her magical orbs. Now Carrie could feel no such magic surging through her. For the first time since the attack of the village she felt normal like anyone else. No longer did she feel the surge of magical powers flowing through, dying to be released onto something. She was just a young girl, and she was very afraid. She looked towards Malus who just looking at herjust looking at her. When Malus stopped looking at her he looked at all the vampires around them. He stared at them as though puzzled by something. Carrie tried to concentrate, to lessen the fear that was coursing through her body but all was for naught for suddenly she felt the cold grip of a vampire clutch her neck. She screamed as she felt herself pulled away from the others. She slowly lost sight of the others. Reinhardt and Henry seemed not to notice that she had been taken. Malus looked at her, then he extended his hand towards her. Carrie tried to reach out to him although e was already to far away. Carrie then saw that a vampire grasp Malus' hand and take him too. 

Henry looked towards Reinhardt, "they've taken the kids. We are surely next."

"Can't be helped, we have to move on. Right now it is either one of us makes it or all is lost." Reinhardt pulled another bottle of holy water from his backpack and threw it at the nearest group of vampires. The vampires howled as they erupted into a purplish flame. Reinhardt looked ahead an saw that they were almost to the coffin. "We're almost there, Henry!" He shot a glance behind him but Henry was gone. Reinhardt made a large swirl with his whip to fend off any vampires that were too close for comfort, then he looked behind him for some sign of where henry had been taken. All Reinhardt could see were the blood red eyes of thirsty vampires crowding around him. Reinhardt made another large swirl with his whip. When his hand was reaching the top of his arch he felt that something grabbed his hand. Reinhardt slowly turned to see and was now face to face with an elderly yet string vampire. Unlike the other vampires this one had not lost its human facial features. He had gray skin and was dressed in a velvet suit. He grinned at Reinhardt, showing his glistening fangs, and punched Reinhardt in the face. The punch sent Reinhardt clear across the dungeon and to the foot of the steps leading to the coffin. When Reinhardt looked upwards he was at the feet of an old woman in a dress equally as elegant as that of the elderly vampire's. The woman smiled down at him. Her teeth were not fangs so she was not a vampire nevertheless she seemed inhuman. In her left she held a large staff with the image of a strange bird sitting on a jewel of some kind. She pointed the end of the staff, which was the point of the long beak of the bird, at Reinhardt. When she raised the staff up again Reinhardt felt himself rise up with it. Reinhardt looked down and saw the shadow of his floating body grow larger as he went higher. Suddenly he felt himself being thrown fast in one direction. When he finally stopped, his body had been thrown against the far wall in front of the coffin. Reinhardt was lain against it in an almost crucifixion pose because his legs were spread. 

"Let my vampires drain them, Actrise," the elder vampire said. 

The woman, obviously Actrise he thought, walked towards Reinhardt.She looked down at the coffin and pointed her staff at it. She raised her staff and the coffin flew up in a thousand pieces. Underneath was an abyss of pure blackness.

"Your mindless dogs don't deserve to send these adventurers to their deaths."

The elder vampire stood beside Actrise. "Don't pretend that by your thorwing them down there you will be sending them off to an honarable death. You have no concept of honor."

Actrise turned and smiled, "Gilles, Gilles, you think you know me so well."

"That is because I do." Then the elder vampire, now known to Reinhardt as Gilles pointed a finger at a large figure that was making its way through the crowd of vampires. 

"The master will not approve of your games! You play too much. You gamble unnecessarily."

Actrise turned to the large dark figure that towered over them both. "Well? Are my games a bother?" The figure remained silent. His face seemed unmoved, neither pleased nor displeased.

Reinhardt felt that his eyes were playing tricks on him. The large figure that had warned them, Dracula was now before him once more. Reinhardt then began to strain his muscles to break away from his invisible bonds but it was no use. Meanwhile Actrise continued prompting the towering vampire. Then she looked Gilles. 

"I don't think he is approving or disapproving of anything right now." Then she tapped the bottom of her staff on the ground three times. 

"Blast you, you witch!" Gilles cursed and turned to see that the three bodies of Malus, Carrie, and Henry were floating towards them. Actrise watched them and began to count them off one by one. Reinhardt's bellow echoed in the old dungeon as he watched.

"One" Actrise said as Carrie was sucked down into the black abyss.

"No!"

"Two" she said softly as Henry went down as well. Then Reinhardt felt himself moving down towards the same blackness. "And now you" He looked up at Actrise who was smiling. For a moment he thought to himself that it was over, then he remembered something his father once told him, "sometimes even after death, it is still not over." With that thought blackness engulfed his vision and Reinhardt no longer knew if his eyes were open or not. 

Actrise looked into the abyss, still smiling. "What of the boy?" Gilles asked. They both looked down at the small purple haired figure. The dark one looked down at Malus with a face of contempt and disgust. Suddenly they heard a voice, "he will die, eventually. In the meantime, let that scum of a Belmont and his friends die in the bowels of the castle. Let them all find death at the end of the river of poison."   



	26. The Tunnels

Reinhardt awoke from the darkness that had engulfed him in great pain. He felt that he had suffered a great fall but did not remember it. The pain he felt made him glad that he did not. The ground he lay on was dirt filled but hard underneath, like rock. He stirred slowly and looked to see where he had been thrown into now. Reinhardt now sat on his knees and examined his surroundings. The ceiling from which he had fallen from was high above him. The ceiling was made of pure rock. He was in a huge cavern held up by enormous pillars of steel. In front of him and to his left and right were tunnels spanning who knows how far. They could easily circle the inside of the earth Reinhardt thought. Reinhardt stood up on his feet and stared at each tunnel entrance trying to think of which one to take. Reinhardt closed his eyes and tuned his ears for any sound that might hint to which tunnel he should follow. Reinhardt then heard very faintly what seemed to be water. He walked closer to the entrance of the tunnel to his far right and he felt a slight breeze hit him. An underground stream he thought. Reinhardt then cautiously began to enter the tunnel. 

Reinhardt traveled for quite a distance before the sound changed from being faint to audible. As he walked the tunnel made turns and sometimes narrowed. Finally the tunnel opened up once more. Reinhardt saw before him a far stretching stream of not water but some kind of green liquid. It was dark, grimy, and seemed dirty. To Reinhardt's shock, bathing inside the liquid were two young women. Both had pale skin and long reddish hair. On their heads they had rusty metallic crowns decorated with faded jewels. The green liquid reached the very bottom of their armored breastplates. Reinhardt clutched the hilt of his sword and slowly walked closer. He stopped for a moment when he thought they had heard him but they did not move. Finally, they both turned and looked at him at the same time. Their faces were different and yet they seemed similar. Reinhardt thought it might be that they had identical expressions. Their faces did not hint at surprise or alarm. They looked in his direction but gave no indication that they were aware of his presence. Then they slowly began to move towards the shore. Reinhardt's father taught him two things, one, never show fear, and two, never show aggression. Pulling his sword on them without knowing their intentions might seem to be an act of aggression, but Reinhardt could feel that these two women were not what they seemed. As they came closer to the shore, the level of the green liquid began to lower against their bodies. Soon Reinhardt could see their bellies and then… then Reinhardt saw that as they came closer to the shore something seemed to be rising up beneath them. Reinhardt tried hard not to show his surprise as he saw that the lower part of the two women did not include the normal two legs, but a large version of a spider's lower abdomen. 

            Reinhardt quickly pulled out his sword and assumed an attack stance. One of the spider women continued to approach him slowly, the expression on her face never changing. Looking at it more closely, the face seemed to be frozen as if in stone. Reinhardt suddenly realized that he lost track of the second. Reinhardt looked up only to catch a glimpse of the spider woman flying over him and landing behind him. Reinhardt spun around to face the much closer enemy. Reinhardt then felt himself being tied up from behind. He turned his head to see that the spider woman behind him was shooting her webbing around him. Quickly Reinhardt felt his whole body pressed together so tight that he could no longer move or keep his balance. Reinhardt fell to the ground. The two spider women hovered above him staring down at him. Reinhardt almost laughed as he felt himself getting that feeling of "this is the end" that he had only experienced not too long ago. Then once again Reinhardt felt darkness enveloping as the spider women continued to engulf him in webbing. 

            Everything was silent for Reinhardt. He neither heard nor felt anything. Reinhardt lost all sense of time so when he finally heard voices he had no idea how long it had been. The voices he heard were soft, female, and angelic. 

            "What have you found?" 

            "A man."

            "A man!" This voice said the word 'man' as though it were a curse word. "Let me see it."

            Reinhardt then felt for the first time in what seemed like years. But the sensation he was feeling was that of his skin being peeled off of him. In reality he thought it must be the webbing being ripped off of him after having bonded to his body. When the peeling was over Reinhardt was shocked to find that he could not see. Reinhardt also realized that his arms and legs were numb. 

            "Do not fret. Your sight will return soon. The effects of the webbing are strong. We will wait. We will not kill you until you are able to face your end knowing how it is that you die."

            Reinhardt desperately turned his head trying to listen so that he could face his captors even while blind. He finally found where he thought that the voice came from and stared. Of course he had no way to know if he was right. Slowly the white blankness that filled his sight faded and color began to breakthrough. Reinhardt could see faint silhouettes forming. The silhouette that was forming in front of him was large, larger than the spider women he encountered before. When his vision returned entirely Reinhardt would have liked to be able to jump back from the sight before him. But Reinhardt's still numb legs prevented him from escaping the sight of what was obviously the queen spider. Her lower spider abdomen was much larger than others he had seen. 

            "Who…who are you?" Reinhardt said weakly.

            The huge body of the queen spider moved slowly towards him. Its extremely thin legs hid their true strength even as they carried the weight of the enormous body.

            "I am Queen Algenie. I am the ruler of this realm. Who are you and why have you invaded by kingdom?"

            "Your majesty, I am Reinhardt Schneider. I beg you r pardon for the intrusion into your kingdom but I assure I am no invader. I was thrust down here by the forces of Dracula."

            "Ah, Dracula, a man of unfortunately great power. He is very difficult to kill. Many have tried throughout the years. I can assure you that he will never ever be truly dead."

            "True, but so long as the blood of my family continues, I can assure you that someone will always be there to defeat him once more."

            "Really? Then may I ask, have you a wife and child?"

            "No."

            "Have you a brother?"

            Reinhardt paused for a moment. "Yes, but he is…missing. As I quest to destroy Dracula, I also search for my brother."

            "Interesting. Then should I kill you now, the blood of your family will die with you, correct?"

            Reinhardt took a deep breath, "Yes."

            "Then perhaps you should taken steps to insure its continuation before you embarked on your quest. Dracula knows that we are down here. As he also knows that to send any man here is certain death!"

            "Your highness, but why? You seem to have no loyalty to Dracula."

            "I am loyal only to my people. Look around you; these tunnels were once the roads of a great society, my society. Now they are but dust in the wind. And it your kind's entire fault! Because of your kind my precious women, they are silent. They cannot bear to speak after the downfall of our kind. They only speak to me from their minds. Such beautiful voices are silent! 

            Queen Algenie pointed her claw-like fingers at Reinhardt. "It is the fault of all me…" Suddenly she stopped. She clutched her head and stared at Reinhardt again and showed the fang-like teeth. 

            "Never mind all that now. You time has come." Queen Algenie raised her claw-like hand as though to grab Reinhardt.

            "I hate to disappoint a queen…" Reinhardt then curled up like a ball and rolled between Algenie's eight legs and jumped into am attack position behind her. His body recovered from the numbness during the queen's tirade. Reinhardt uncurled his whip and pondered on how to attack her. He suspected that considering her very feministic character she would no doubt be outraged by any slight upper hand or victory he might have against her. That alone made her altogether more dangerous. Reinhardt was forced to jump back a few feet because the queen had turned and faced him. Despite her obvious weight she was quite agile and moved very quickly. The queen's first mode of attack seems to be shooting out webbing and trying to capture him once more. Reinhardt ran across the large round chamber in which they were in narrowly avoiding long thin lines of webbing attempting to snatch him. Soon two other of the spider-women joined in the battle by chasing Reinhardt throughout the chamber. Reinhardt palmed a knife from his backpack in each hand, leapt into the air, and threw the knives at the two pursuing spider-women. The knives hit the spider-women squarely on their necks. Although they wee silent they clutched their necks and motioned their hands in the air as those gasping for air that would not pass through the blade that now blocked their windpipe. The queen had stopped attacking for a moment. 

            "I can hear their screams and their pleas for air. I can hear them!" she screamed. Then with rage in her eyes she turned and stared at Reinhardt who had unknowingly let his guard down and grasped Reinhardt with her webbing and began to spin him around and around the chamber. As he was spun around, the webbing gave him a connection and he too could hear the to spider-women he had condemned to death pleading for air. Reinhardt felt the odd sensation of being suffocated because the webbing was wrapped tight around his chest and receiving too much air because he was spinning so fast through the air. Reinhardt desperately gripped the hilt of his whip. His vision was becoming burred somewhat. Reinhardt then lunged his whip in order to wrap it around the queen's neck. Loosely it did wrap itself around her neck, then as she spun him further around the chamber the whip's grip on her neck grew tighter and tighter. Finally, despite being enveloped by anger, Reinhardt felt that the queen was no longer spinning him around as fast. Within moments Reinhardt touched ground. Reinhardt lay on the ground for only a few seconds when he heard movement echoing in the tunnels beyond the chamber's entrance. Reinhardt looked ahead and saw that at the other end of the chamber was a wooden door. Reinhardt hurriedly jogged towards it. He quickly lifted the latch that locked it and was greeted by the darkness behind the door. Schneider lit a small torch he kept in his backpack. It seemed to be a long tunnel. He looked back and saw the shadows converging on the chamber's entrance. He entered the dark tunnel and closed the door behind him locking it with a latch that was on the other side. Once again Reinhardt Schneider was reminded of one of many truths his father shared with he and his brother. 

"Having the blood of a Belmont running through your veins means having to walk in darkness."

And once more, Reinhardt was walking in darkness.


	27. The Waterway

            Carrie's hearing was filled with echoes. Voices seemed to be speaking aloud and yet they were very quiet. For several moments Carrie tried to focus on the seemingly distant voices but only one voice managed to become clear.

            "Carrie. Wake up, Carrie!"

            Carrie opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of Henry's helmet. Carrie sat up weakly. "Are you alright?" Henry asked her. "Fine," she said. 

            "Are you sure? The whole time while you were asleep you were trembling as though you were very cold. And now that I look at you, you seem very pale."

            Carrie felt that she was still trembling, and could not understand why. That was not true, she did know why. It dawned on her only moments before the vampires had snatched her. "I've lost it," she said simply.

            Henry looked at her for a moment. Through the visor that went across his helmet she could see that he was staring into her eyes. "I don't have the power anymore," she continued. "All of the sudden we were surrounded by those vampires and I lost it. I couldn't do it anymore." Carrie tried to hold back her tears. "And then I was so afraid…" she finally said as a few drops rolled down her cheeks. Henry held her in his arms for a moment before looking at her again.

            "Listen to me Carrie, powers or no powers you have not lost anything. You have your life and your resolve. When Reinhardt and I found you, you were more dedicated than us to go into this castle and destroy Dracula. That has not changed, I promise. We all have fear in us. The challenge is to conquer that fear. You cannot destroy it. Do you think me fearless? No, I was also afraid of all of those surrounding vampires, as I am also afraid of what possible danger lay ahead of us in this place. But I have learned to accept that fear and put it behind me where it can do me no harm. You will learn this as well. I promise you. Powers or no powers we will get through this. Now just follow me and we will fight together using whatever we have on us. Remember that Reinhardt and I were planning on surviving this even before you came along."

            Carrie smiled. Henry then handed her a spare knife that he had. Carrie was not exactly experienced with using a knife but it made her feel better now that she had _something to protect herself with.  _

            Henry and Carrie were in some kind of underground labyrinth. They walked through the hallways in which they had landed for quite a distance. The halls twisted and turned. Each one was identical to the one before. One constant was the hundreds of candle lit lamps that hung from the ceiling. Finally Carrie and Henry reached an intersection. They had two halls to choose from. 

            "Well?" Carrie asked. "Which do you think?"

            "I think, a sign saying 'this way to certain death' might help to eliminate some possibilities. But in the absence of such helpful hints, I say lets try through the left." 

            "Why?"

            "I write with my left."

            Henry then began to walk towards the left tunnel. As he approached the mouth of the tunnel the ground beneath tem began to tremble. Carrie turned around slowly and almost screamed as she saw that the floor of the tunnel they had just been coming through was now crumbling beneath itself. Carrie then darted for the right passage way.

            "I hate it when I do that." Henry said to himself before he darted for the opposite passage as well. He quickly caught up with Carrie and both of them were running side-by-side. The crumbling floor was like a wave only a few feet away from overtaking them and sending them to lie below these tunnels. Henry and Carrie focused their vision forward and soon the sight of light at the end of the tunnel greeted them. Both made an increased effort to try and reach whatever lay ahead before the crumbling floor reached them. 

            Carrie who was much smaller and had better control of her self managed to stop running after exiting the tunnel. Henry, on the other hand, was much larger and had developed much more momentum than Carrie and could not stop himself in time. Henry was surprised to find that the tunnel did not open up into a large room of some kind but rather to a small ledge. Henry went over the ledge. His whole body suddenly felt cold as though he had fallen into icy water. While hanging half submerged in it, he looked and saw that he had fallen into some kind of green water.

            Carrie immediately went to his aid. Although heavy, Carrie did her best to help pull him out of the green liquid he had fallen into. When he was finally and wholly on the ledge they both saw that the crumbling floor had ceased only a few feet from them.

            "That…" Henry puffed from underneath his helmet. 

            "Was too close," Carrie finished. "What is it that you fell into?"

            Henry dipped a finger into the liquid and smelled it from behind the helmet. "It's a poison. I do not know why there is a river full of it or how this particular one could be produced…naturally. In any case, it is harmful only if you ingest it. I would not recommend bathing in it but I don't think that my swim will kill me."

            "So where to now?"

            Henry looked around and saw that there was really only one path they could take. "This ledge we are standing seems to be the only way to go. The ledge seems to go all around this waterway."

            Carrie and Henry then began to walk forward along the ledge. As they walked, Carrie could not shake the odd sensation that they were being watched. It was especially odd that since she had entered the castle they had not had a calm and quiet moment. Why should they now? Finally Carrie turned her attention to the poisonous water before. She suddenly felt that its murky depths hid some kind of danger or threat.

            "Henry!"

            Henry spun around and looked in the direction that Carrie was. He stared into the water expecting to see what it was that had startled her, but he saw nothing. "What is it?" he asked.

            "I saw something. It was swimming underneath the water."

            Henry un-holstered his side arm and pointed it at the water. "Don't worry, let's just keep moving. Every lake has its mouth; I assume that we can find our way back to Reinhardt from there." Carrie then turned her gaze away from the water only to watch as Henry fire his gun. Carrie quickly looked back at the water and saw something rise to the surface. It was a very large body but not one of a normal human being. Twitching slightly was a lengthy tail floating along the ledge. 

            "A lizard man?"

            "A lizard man. They can breath underwater."

            Carrie looked around, "then we have a big problem. We are surrounded by water." Unexpectedly a lizard man jumped out from the water and landed behind them. The lizard hissed at them as it drew a sword from a hilt hanging from its belt. Then another Lizard man emerged from the water. This one was already sporting its axe using both hands. The second lizard lunged at Henry who dodged it by a hair. The force of its lunge was so great that the axe stuck to the ground. Henry then fired his gun point blank into the lizard's chest. The force of the blast threw the lizard back into the water. Behind him, Henry checked on Carrie. Carrie slid through between the lizard's legs and jammed her knife into the lizards tail. The lizard moaned in pain. Henry grabbed lizard's sword from its own hand and slashed him across the chest. The lizard fell to the ground dead. Carrie jumped across its body and stood alongside Henry. 

            "They're repulsive."

            "I doubt they like us much either." Henry then looked again towards the water. Although the water was dark and murky, he could now see that more than just a few lizards were floating just below the surface and were now swimming towards them. He pulled his backpack and shuffled through it looking for something that he thought might persuade them to keep their distance. 

            "What are you looking for?" Carrie asked.  

            "One of my explosives…here is one!" Henry pulled out one of his make shift explosives, basically a small bag filled with gunpowder and a fuse on top. Henry lit the fuse and laid it on top of the water. The sack floated on the water near the ledge. Henry grabbed Carrie and began to run for it. 

            "Whatever you do, don't look back!" he yelled.

            Suddenly the whole chamber erupted into flames. "I seem to have forgotten that this particular poison is very flammable." As they ran several lizard men tried to jump to the surface. All of them moaned in pain as they were burned. Carrie stared as the lake of poison had been transformed into a huge holocaust. 

            Within a few moments Carrie and Henry reached what was apparently the mouth of the river. The poison water seemed to flow from a large waterfall. To the side of the waterfall and along the same edge they were treading on, was an archway that led into darkness. Carrie and Henry approached it cautiously. Carrie looked at the water. Although not as strong the flames reached even here. She was sweating and Henry must feel like a roast pig by now, she thought. The strength of the flame was not enough to go up the waterfall so the flames died at the bottom of it. 

            "Look," Henry said in a startled voice. 

            Carrie then saw that as they came closer to the darkened archway that previously hidden torches lit themselves along the passageway. Now illuminated, Henry gestured for Carrie to follow him. Carrie followed him until he stopped and she bumped into his backside. 

            "What happened?" Carrie asked. Henry did not answer. She walked around and faced him. "Henry? What happened?" Carrie then noticed something. His foot was slightly elevated off the ground. He was frozen. Then she realized that the waterfall had stopped. Everything had stopped. Carrie then felt the presence iof a great power. Powerful magic was at work here. She did not know why it was that she could now sense something like that but she knew she was right. She looked behind Henry and saw the source of the magic. 

            "Actrise. What have you done to him?"

            Actrise smiled. "Done to him? Why nothing, dear child. How could you think such things of me. I merely paused everything so that you and I might have a little talk."

            "I don't have to talk to you about anything!"

            "Now, now, of course you do." Actrise paused. "You see you may not realize it, but you have enormous potential. The power that you can wield, why it can even rival my own!"

            "Then I will use it to destroy you!"

            "You have to learn how to use it first. That is what I offer. I can bring out your full potential and in exchange, you are of course free to do whatever you like, but when I need you, you will come and will do as I ask."

            "I will not serve you! Never!"

            "We shall see. I have noticed that you seem to be lacking your previous abilities."

            Carrie's palms began to sweat. Actrise's eyes seem to burn into hers. She was taunting her. Unfortunately it was working. 

            "I am going to be even more generous. I am going to permit you to continue on this foolhardy quest to kill Dracula. I want to see how much longer you can stand to feel so helpless. The remainder your quest will be very perilous. You will face death at each corner. Of course should you wish to leave and abandon this foolish escapade, just cry out my name. I would be more than happy to transport you elsewhere so that we might begin your training." 

            "I will never do it!"

            "We shall see. Until we meet again, Carrie Fernandez."

            Actrise's body then began to fade. For a split second it seemed that all that remain were her eyes and her wicked smile. Then they too disappeared. Immediately Henry's voice sounded in Carrie's ears. 

            "Come on, let's go." Henry turned around and saw that Carrie was not looking in his direction. "Something wrong Carrie?"

            "Nothing. Nothing at all." Then she turned and began to walk ahead of Henry. Underneath Henry's helmet he raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Henry suddenly had the feeling that he missed something very important. 


	28. The Castle Center

            Reinhardt had traveled the dark tunnel for some distance and was finally seeing light at the end of it. At a certain point Reinhardt had heard a loud explosion echo through the tunnel. Later Reinhardt had reached a sort of junction where he saw that he had been traveling a dark tunnel while there was one immediately beside it that was lit. Reinhardt had been tempted to back track along the lit tunnel but thought it would be more good sense to continue forward. When Reinhardt emerged from the tunnel he was greeted by what he thought at that moment to be a marvelous sight. Reinhardt was hypnotized by a slow walking figure. A woman dressed in red and blonde hair hanging over delicate shoulders. It was Rosa, from the garden. In the dim light of this chamber she seemed…angelic. Reinhardt found himself disbelieving that she was a vampire. He had not let himself think it before, but she was beautiful. The room it self was very dark except for a single ray of sunlight breaking through a circular opening in the ceiling of the room. Reinhardt was so hypnotized by her that he failed to notice that she was walking towards the light. Then slowly she stepped into it. Within second a light smoke began to rise from all over her body. The sun was burning her and yet she was silent. Reinhardt leapt into action and put his arms around her and pulled her from the sunlight. Still searing hot, Reinhardt's hands and arms burned while holding her. They both fell to the ground. Reinhardt rolled on top of her and held her down at her wrists. All the while he held her she screamed at him. 

            "No! Don't stop me!"

            "Don't be stupid, woman!"

            Suddenly she stopped struggling and looked into Reinhardt's eyes. For a moment there was a hint of emotion and then it was gone. Rosa suddenly became much stronger that Reinhardt and managed to force him off of her. 

            "I'm no woman. I am vampire!" 

"Whatever you are, God forbids suicide." 

Rosa seemed to laugh. "Even for a vampire?" 

"Yes. We are all God's creations." 

Tears suddenly began to run down Rosa's cheeks. Reinhardt put his hands on her shoulders. "Rosa…"

"...So, even in death, my soul cannot find forgiveness. If that's the case, you must kill me!" 

            "No!" Reinhardt said quickly. He released her and backed away. "That is not my way." 

            "Your way is that of a vampire killer, you said it yourself. Why won't you slay me? Is it because of this woman's shape?  You can't kill what looks like a woman or a child?"  Reinhardt remained silent. "Such sentiment will cost you your life."

            "I have watched you." Rosa said. She extended her hand and touched his face. Reinhardt felt that it was icy cold. Rosa saw that her touch made his hairs stand on end. She knew that the warmth of her body was gone and that she could not feel his. In his eyes she could see such passion and emotion hidden underneath the guise of duty and responsibility. All that he needed was the touch of a warm hand to release it. But it was a touch she no longer had. Rosa no longer felt like a woman. She did not feel human. But for a moment with this man she felt like a woman again. The sight of his body reacting to her cold touch made her retract her hand. 

            "You have been very brave. Don't let it be for nothing." Rosa then stepped back and faded away.

            Reinhardt was alone for several moments and then he heard footsteps. Reinhardt turned and faced the entrance he had come though with his sword drawn. Two figures emerged from the torch lit tunnel.

            "Reinhardt!" Carrie and Henry said almost simultaneously. The pair actually ran towards him and shared a large group hug. Reinhardt merely patted each of them on the shoulders. 

            "We still have quite a distance to go. But I think we are almost there," he said. "Now that we are together again, let's stick together even harder, until the end."

            The trio emerged from the door that allowed them to exit from the previous chamber. Now they were in a long hallway that had a door at the far end and branched off to the right. Wherever they were it was quiet. Their steps echoed as they walked towards the door at the far end. The area that they were in now seemed to be constructed of stone with a wooden infrastructure of pillars and girders. As they passed by the branching point they peeked at the large area and saw that it was equally empty and silent. When they reached the far door they found it was locked. Reinhardt led the way back to the branching point. The area to the right of the hallway was now different from the hallway. Instead of a stone floor now they walked on marble. There were only two doors in this area. One door was to their right and the other was further in. Reinhardt walked over to try the one further away. 

            "Why didn't we try the first door?" Henry asked Reinhardt. 

            "Just a feeling," he said. 

            Te doors were double and huge. Reinhardt thought that perhaps he should go ahead and ask Henry for his help opening it but as Reinhardt touched it Reinhardt felt it move under his fingers. Reinhardt grasped the handle and pushed gently. He had expected a loud screech but none came. The door was as silent as the rest of this area. Reinhardt entered followed by the others. The chamber that they entered was vast. It stretched for what seemed like a mile in each direction. It was a circular room, almost like a coliseum. A large white symbol decorated the far wall. The most mysterious part of the arena was what seemed to be lying in the center. The three approached the large mass quietly. Their footsteps made no noise on the soft-carpeted floor. The trios circled around the mass and their eyes were wide with disbelief. Reinhardt thought back to the stories his father had told him. Somehow Reinhardt found it easier to believe in vampires and other creatures because they were humanoid, mostly. What lay before them now was not natural, an enormous sleeping bull. 

            "Is it asleep?" was the first thing that Henry asked.

            "No, it is not," answered Carrie. 

            Reinhardt looked at Carrie, "How can you be sure?" Reinhardt looked at her. She wasn't facing the bull. Carrie began walking towards the symbol on the wall. Reinhardt and Henry followed.

            Carrie touched the wall and Reinhardt saw that her eyes glowed a bright green. "There's powerful magic at work here. There are two forces opposing each other. One force trying to cover whatever is behind here. Carrie looked at Reinhardt and Henry. "I don't know how it is that I know that." Reinhardt put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's move on. Perhaps we will have to return here later, when we know more." Carrie's eyes stopped glowing after she stopped touching the wall. She breathed heavily for a few moments as though she were feeling extremely relieved. The three then began marching towards the door they entered through. As they walked towards the door, Reinhardt thought he caught a glimpse of someone walking around in the seating area of the arena. 

            "He saw us."

            **Of course he did. HE would.**

            "Why do I have to hide from him? Why do I have to hide from Carrie? I think she needs my help."

            **So young and already you have succumbed to a woman's gaze. Very well, we shall follow them. I wish to see what progress they can make. But we must follow silently. **

            Reinhardt did not expect so sudden a confrontation. A soon as all three of them had entered through the only door they could go through, a hissing noise was heard. Four vampires came falling from above and on top of them. A female vampire, dressed like a servant, jumped on Reinhardt's back and wrapped her thighs around his chest. Reinhardt tried to keep a tight grip around her neck so that she could not bite his. Meanwhile, an older looking vampire knocked Henry down with his descent. This vampire did not waste any time trying to bite though Henry's steel armor helmet, he just began to shake his head hoping that at some point Henry might hurt his head with his own armor and start bleeding. Carrie, in the meantime, was faced with a simply dressed male vampire and a female one dressed in nothing but a nightgown. The female was actually very still as she remained clinging to a nearby wall. The male vampire on the other hand, began to chase Carrie around the large chamber they were in. In the center of the chamber there was a dirt filled area shaped like a square. Carrie ran into this area and the vampire followed suit. Carrie knelt down a bit and gathered some dirt in her hand. She spun around and threw the dirt right in the vampire's face. As the vampire became distracted by the dirt in his face Carrie gathered more and stuffed some into his mouth as it was wide open with his moans. The vampire fell to the floor and began to cough dirt. Carrie did not stop; she began to kick more dirt at his face until finally she just began to kick his face. Carrie felt anger swell inside her, she was now tired of being scared or being afraid of these creatures. Her memories flooded back to her mother, Henrietta. She suddenly had very little qualms about killing the vampire. It was Reinhardt who broke her out of her kicking spell. 

            "Come one Carrie! You can beat the vampire into a pulp later." Reinhardt grabbed Carrie by the arm and dragged her behind him. They ran towards the vampire who was trying to crack Henry's head like an egg. Reinhardt unwrapped his chain whip from around his waist and swung it around the neck of the vampire on top of Henry. Reinhardt then tugged in the whip and the vampire came off of him. Next Reinhardt threw a dagger of his at the vampire so he would stay down. Reinhardt and Carrie helped Henry up and began running up a nearby staircase that led to the only exit from the room. The three of them found themselves now in an outside courtyard. The courtyard was littered with several large objects in one corner, a statue, a staircase on the opposite side and a large centerpiece that seemed to be a machine of some sort. The ree then headed down towards the large central machine. By the time they reached it, Henry was now able to stand on his own. 

            "You all right?" asked Reinhardt.

            Henry leaned on the machine, "yes, fine, just have a little head ache that's all."

            Carrie touched a red square tile on the side of the machine. In the center of the tile was a green jewel. When Carrie touched it, it was immediately as though she had just touched the wall in the arena chamber, her eyes glowed bright green again. "This is a lift."

            "A lift?" Reinhardt asked.

            "Yes it will take us into the upper portions of the castle. But…"

            "But?" Henry asked.

            "It needs power. Magical power."

            "Could it be whatever is behind the wall we found?"

            "Yes. The symbol on the wall, it is blocking the power to this lift. We have to break the wall to release the power."

            "How will make such a huge hole in the wall?" asked Henry.

            "Or more importantly, how will we break whatever power is blocking the magic?" Reinhardt said.

            Carrie let go of the green jewel and her eyes returned to normal. Reinhardt put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

            "Fine. It's just…different. Just by touching something I feel like a part of my mind is opening like a book. Different is the word to describe it." Suddenly the three turned as they heard a loud hissing noise. The vampire they had left behind were now coming out through the same door they had. Two of them were scaling the walls of the courtyard while one of them crawled towards them on all fours. Henry pulled his pistol and fired two shots at the vampire on the floor. The vampire's left hand flew off and he moaned in pain. 

            "I think it wise to move on!" Henry said as he began to back away and head to the staircase behind them. When the three went up the staircase, it led them to another flight of steps, which led them to a small hall. The hall had two doors as well as two windows that over looked the courtyard. The two vampires that were scaling the walls came crashing through the windows. One of them flew straight into Henry and slammed him onto the floor. Carrie went running to Henry's aid with knife in hand. The vampire's quick reflexes allowed him to grab Carrie by the neck. The male vampire pulled Carrie close to his fangs and hissed at her. His breath stank of old and rotting flesh combined with blood. Carrie had dropped the knife and now struggled to release herself from the vampires grasp. The vampire just looked at her and threw her across the hall and through one of the two doors. In the meantime Henry had gotten up, reloaded, and aimed his pistol at the vampire that had hit him. Henry fired his gun and blood splattered out of the vampire's shoulder. 

            During all this Reinhardt was dealing with the second vampire that had come through the window. This vampire had long nails that he used to try and slash Reinhardt. Reinhardt flung his whip and wrapped it around the vampire's hand. Before he could pull on the whip and bring the vampire down the vampire yanked hard and sent Reinhardt flying towards him. The vampire slashed at him but its nails only made sparks against his chest plate. Reinhardt rolled to face the vampire. The vampire held his fingers together and prepared to thrust his nails into Reinhardt like knives. Reinhardt drew his sword as fast as he could and cut the vampires fingers off. The vampire clutched his fingerless hands and hissed at Reinhardt. Its eyes were wide open and the veins of his eyes were red with blood. Reinhardt was dealing with a pure animal. Whatever humanity had been left in the human shell was now erased. Like an animal the vampire charged at Reinhardt. So fast did the vampire run that Reinhardt scarcely had time to prepare himself for the thrust of its head hitting him hard in the chest. Reinhardt felt a door break with the weight of his back and soon the vampire managed to throw Reinhardt into the air. Reinhardt landed on a hard metal surface. He felt as though he were spinning. Reinhardt's mind kept slipping, the pain of having his body used as a battery ram plus his disorientation made it hard for him to move. The vampire approached like an animal hunter, slow and cautious. Its prey was now barely conscious lying on a large turning gear. The vampire drooled somewhat now that his thirst would be quenched. 

            Henry fired all of his bullets into the single vampire that remained. This vampire was apparently very persistent because it continued to approach him. Henry did not want to risk reloading with the vampire so close so he holstered his gun and drew his sword. Henry stood ready in a stance that would allow him to cut off any one of his limbs or simply go straight for the vampire's heart. When the vampire was about seven feet away from him the vampire dropped to the floor and released whatever amount of blood was left in him through the various holes Henry had riddled him with. Underneath his helmet, Henry had a look of both surprise and satisfaction. Henry sheathed his sword and took advantage of the lack of enemies to complete the slow reloading process of his gun. Henry looked around as his inserted the bullets into the chambers of his gun. The second vampire had rammed Reinhardt through the other door. Reinhardt can take care of himself he thought, but Carrie? Where was Carrie? Henry looked at the other door, which turned out to be slightly open and ran towards it. Carrie was lying in the middle of the room apparently unconscious. Henry ran to her and lifted her head.

"You alright?"

            Carrie's eyes opened slowly and then widened as she then pushed Henry away from her and then rolled to the right. A lizard dropped right in the center of both of them. This lizard was armed with a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. 

"Damn," Henry said, "More lizards." Henry looked back to the door as he heard a loud clamping noise. A lizard had jammed the door shut. Henry turned and fired a shot at the lizard that was closest to them and the lizard backed off in pain. Henry got up and ran to pick up Carrie. He grabbed her by the hand and began to make a run for the other side of the room. The sound of their feet clanged against the metal floor they were running on. Carrie looked to their left where she saw that the lizards were coming out of odd metal coffins that hung from the wall. Behind them they had accumulated six lizards that were now following them. Henry left Carrie to try and get the door that lay ahead of the open. Henry quickly dropped his backpack on the ground and began to look into it looking for a particularly potent vile that Reinhardt had shared with him. Finally Henry grasped it form his bag and threw it at one of the lizards. That same lizard stopped, hissed, and spewed out of it mouth a stream of poison. The vile struck the lizard in the head and broke, allowing the liquid inside to spread all over the lizard. Instantly the lizard became a blaze of fire and soon there was a stream of fire that separated the lizards from Henry and Carrie. 

Carrie turned around, "you enjoy burning lizards?"

"Not particularly, I just don't fancy the idea of them burning me."

"What was inside that vile you threw?"

"Holy water. I never thought it would really work. I will have to apologize to Reinhardt."

"Where is Reinhardt?"

"I'm afraid his fight took him into the other room." Henry said as he looked back at the lizards that were hissing and trying to find a way past the barrier of fire. 

"How will we get back to him?"

Suddenly a stream of poison streaked past the two. Henry tried to cover Carrie so that she would not get hit. "I think our best chance is to continue past this door and see if there is a way to double back. But we cannot stay here. This fire won't last that long and those lizards might get lucky with their poison for spit." Henry turned his attention to the door and gave it a big pull. 

            Reinhardt was unaware that he was having a dream, a vision. He was lying on the grass in front of his home in the mountains of Wallachia. He opened his eyes and saw a silhouetted figure not too far away.

"Reinhardt!" A voice called to him.

Reinhardt tried to place the voice. It took him several moments but when he did he rose up. "Werner!" Reinhardt called out.

"Yes brother. It is I."

Reinhardt would have run to the shadowed figure but the sunlight was so bright, he could not.

"Why can't I see you brother?"

"You cannot. Not yet. For now you must wake. Your journey is not complete. You have come far Reinhardt and you don't have far to go."

"Werner! I have so desperately wanted to see you again. I wanted to find you!"

"I know."

"I should have listened to you. I should have gone with you."

"No, Reinhardt, you were right. As smart as I was, you were right. You were right to be patient. But now you must awaken. Wake up Reinhardt. Wake up!"

            Reinhardt opened his eyes just in time to see the arms of the vampire heading for his neck. Reinhardt grabbed the vampire's arms and struggled to maintain them at a distance. With his legs Reinhardt managed to trip the vampire to the ground. Reinhardt rolled on top of the vampire and continued to hold the vampire's hands away from him. The vampire head butted Reinhardt and sent him backward on to the floor. While Reinhardt was on the ground he felt as though his head were spinning. He looked around and realized that the he and the vampire were battling atop a large metal gear. In fact the room had three large metal gears laid out on the ground. Reinhardt got to his feet and grasped his whip. One hand grasping the handle and the other slightly wrapped around his hand, Reinhardt charged at the vampire that in turn charged at him. The two collided and Reinhardt ended up flat on the gear with the vampire on top. Reinhardt pushed his whip against the neck of the vampire in order to protect his own neck from being bitten. He and Reinhardt rolled along the gear until finally they were on the edge of the gear and Reinhardt managed to get himself on top. Reinhardt pushed the vampire's head down against the edge of the gear and held it. Soon the gear turned and was about to reach a junction with another gear. The vampire hissed at Reinhardt as his head began to be slowly crushed in between the grooves of two gears. 

            Reinhardt doubled back after killing the vampire and tried the other door where he assumed that Henry and Carrie had gone through. "Separated again," he thought. Reinhardt remembered that he had argued with Samuel about having to make this journey alone. Now he was willing to take those words back. The door would not budge. Reinhardt pondered for a moment and decided to continue along through the other door. He hoped that at some point he would be able to run into them. Reinhardt made his way back to the room with the gears. Beyond the area with large gears, there was a lower level to the room. Beyond that, on the other side was a set of stairs leading to another chamber presumably. Crossing between one side of the room and the other was a small walkway that one could walk along to reach the other side and not have to climb down to the lower level and then back up again. Reinhardt observed that standing dormant in the lower level were three lizard men. Reinhardt slowly began to walk across the walkway. Reinhardt's hand was only an inch away from the hilt of his sword. He stared at all three of them all standing at different points of the lower level of the room. When Reinhardt made it to the other side he looked back at the lizard men. "What purpose could they serve?" Reinhardt wondered. 

            Reinhardt entered the next room and was taken back by its size. The next chamber was immense. Apart from it being so large it was also filled with incredible sights. Huge machines were littered about all over. Huge diagrams decorated the walls. The devices Reinhardt saw were beyond anything he had seen. Around him were enormous motors and engines. Reinhardt even gasped when he saw some kind of device flying around the ceiling without being attached to anything. In another corner was some kind of small-motorized single carriage. It looked like some kind of bicycle. Reinhardt moved on through the room and walked through another door that was between two golden armored guards. As Reinhardt closed the door behind him the heads of the two guards turned. 

            Reinhardt now found himself in a very small room with purple walls. It was so small that it contained absolutely nothing and only led to another door, which Reinhardt opened and went through. Reinhardt was now in a dark hallway. The walls were colored like fire and had sculptures of dragonheads growing out of the walls. Reinhardt walked down the hall until he reached door and opened it. The hall was flooded with light form the room ad Reinhardt entered. 

            Carrie and Henry were leaning side by side against the door they had just closed. Behind the door was a pair of female vampires deadly and thirsty. The dark hallway that they were in provided them with a short refrain from their exploring. After a few moments Henry stood up and Carrie followed suit. 

"Let us see what awaits us here."

            Henry set off in one direction of the hall and Carrie stuck close. "This is a perfect spot for vampires to live in. It is so dark. Why do you suppose those two decided to live in that room and not here instead?" Carrie asked. 

            "I'm not sure, but I doubt the answer is very reassuring."

            They both reached a large door with an odd figurehead hanging above it. It was a sculpture a man transforming into different animals such as a wolf, a bird, or a lizard. Henry opened and entered the room. The sudden bright light blinded him for a moment but almost immediately upon entering he noticed the large figure that had been behind the door. Henry quickly drew his pistol and aimed at the figure. With lightening speed a strong arm forced his gun from his hand and pushed him to the ground. In the moment that his vision returned, Henry saw that a large lizard man was holding Carrie down with its tail. Henry drew his sword and point at the lizard's direction. The lizard stared at him and then at the gun. The lizard popped open the chamber of the gun and released all of the bullets that were inside onto the floor. The lizard then cocked the gun back into place and offered it to Henry. Henry was caught totally by surprise with the ease at which the lizard disarmed and emptied his weapon. A weapon that he did not think a mere lizard that had never handled one could possibly handle with such ease. It was as though the lizard had known exactly how to empty the gun. As though he had done it before. Henry's mind went back to the figurehead above the door to this room. He stared into the eyes of the lizard and dropped his sword. Henry's hand reached out to take the gun by the handle. When he did take it in his hand Henry merely said, "Coller?" 

            "Who are you?" the lizard man responded. Henry listened to the voice and heard no hint of a Scottish accent. Only was there the slur of a lizard's almost slithery tone. 

            "It's me, Henry."

            "Henry?" the creature said aloud quizzically. "You are here?"

            "Yes."

            The creature that was irrefutably Coller, released Carrie and patted Henry on the head. Coller then grabbed Henry by the arm. "But you're so big."

            Henry then grabbed what he could of Coller's enormous arm," so are you, old friend."

            "Cornell? Is he with you?"

            "No he is not. Coller, I need to know, what happened to you? We thought you were dead. All this time, and you were here?"

            "I was almost dead. Or maybe I am and I don't know it. I was taken Henry; I came face to face with Dracula. He turned me into…" Coller looked at his hands,  "he turned me into this." Coller walked towards a large table in the center of the room. "I am sorry Henry. I was crazy for a long time. Then one day, that witch Actrise came to me. She said I could have Ana back, if I helped her do something. I said no at first, but after a while, I couldn't say no. I had to take a chance."

            "What did she ask of you?"

            "She asked me to build things for her, machines and devices that are years ahead of what is being used now. She gave me all the resources…to arm an army with. She also let me refit one of the towers of the castle with some of my newer guns. I worked for several years Henry. I learned to do many things with my skills. When I grew tired of working alone I even managed to bring back an old acquaintance, Victor, the gardener."

            "You did that?"

            "Aye. But I realized that all I was doing was tormenting his poor soul, so I quickly released him. I would have buried him, but I couldn't quite kill that body of his. It was now being powered by something more than what I put into it. But anyway, after I did all this, Actrise tricked me again. She left me here trapped inside this castle to rot. She lied, Henry. Ana is still in her power."

            Henry put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Coller. We will get her back. Now you can come with us!"

            Coller looked at Carrie's eyes. "That interesting. You have eyes just like Ana." Coller looked back at Henry. "I can't Henry. I won't go with you."

            "What do you mean? We need you. With you knowledge of the castle we can reach Dracula even faster." 

            "Dracula? What are you talking about?"

            "He has returned Coller. He has already struck one village. If we do not stop him, all the world will feel his wrath."

            "I have not seen Dracula in this castle for years."

            "Well we have."

            Coller stood for a moment. "There is a lift in the center courtyard. The lift can take you either into the upper towers of the castle or back down to the lower levels and to the entrance. The way that Actrise has kept me here is by cutting off the magical power source that powered the lift. The source is hidden behind a cracked wall in the coliseum. To release the power source all you need do is destroy the wall. The challenge is destroying the wall. On top of being protected by some magical symbol, the only explosive powerful enough to destroy it is magical nitro."

            "So, what is so important about the nitro?" 

            "It is highly explosive, one false hit and you could blow yourself to pieces."

`           "Where do we find it?"

            Coller pointed to a door that was in a corner of the room. "Right there."

            "You are sure you will not join us?"

            Coller merely pulled something from a bag that hung from around his waist. Coller handed Henry a small key. "It is the key to the torture room. Inside you will find mandragora. By itself, it is harmless, combined with nitro and it acts as a catalyst for the explosion." Henry took the key and nodded to Carrie. Together they walked towards the door that Coller had indicated.  

            Reinhardt ducked behind a nearby crate as soon as he heard the door open. When the door closed he heard two voices speaking to one another.

            "He was your friend?"

            "He saved my life once, a long time ago. Apparently too long."

            "He has been alone all these years. And look at what happened to him."

            "I suppose it just…when you are a child, you remember people, places, and things differently." Henry looked at Carrie. "No offense intended, but you will know what I mean in several years."

            Reinhardt was relieved to hear those two voices. As soon as they had finished talking Reinhardt stood up from behind the crate and cleared his throat, loudly. 

            "Reinhardt!" both Carrie and Henry exclaimed at the same time.

            "It is good to see you both alright."

            "Reinhardt, we have made some progress. We found out that the only way beyond this central area of the castle is through the lift we saw. The power source is exactly where Carrie sensed it." Henry explained.

            "But we have also found out that the only way to reach it is by using the explosives that are right in front of us."

            Reinhardt looked at what was before him. The room they were in was divided in two by large stacks of wooden boxes and three racks of bottles, presumably the explosive. Reinhardt saw that there was a space in between two of the large boxes. 

            "First things first. Divided we won't be much use for each other. Carefully get on this side of the room through that space and let us see how we can get the explosives down stairs." Carrie who was obviously smaller went first; she went through without any trouble. Henry who was much larger really had to squeeze through in order to get on the other side. Reinhardt had kept an eye on the bottles too make sure they were not shaking. After they were all together on both sides, all three were startled to hear a sudden voice call from a dark corner on the other side from which Henry and Carrie had come. A short figure emerged from the shadows; it was Malus. 

            "Malus!" Carrie exclaimed.

            Malus merely stood still, almost smiling. "I am surprised you have made it so far."

            "You are surprised, so are we. How did you get here Malus, why have you not tried to escape if you had the chance?" Henry said.

Malus looked off; almost as though he was looking at the wall, "Escape?"

            "Malus, what is wrong?" Carrie asked. "Why don't you come over here with us?"

            "No, not yet. I need to help you first."

            What do you mean?"

            "There is something that I need to do for you first."

"Nonsense, Malus. Come with us. You will be safer with us."

"Before I do what I have to do, Carrie must promise me something."

Carrie looked at Malus. She walked close the shelves of nitro that separated her from Malus. "Malus you need to come with us. Stop this foolishness and come over on this side right now."

"Carrie…"Malus whispered. "Marry me."

Carrie was taken aback by what she just heard. "Marry you? But Malus, this is so sudden. Also, we are so young, what are you thinking about? This doesn't make any sense."

"It will, one day. I'll make you happy, I promise." 

"But we are both too young.  It's far too soon to even think of getting married." 

"Well then, when we grow up we'll be married?" 

"We are in the middle of a castle filled with demons and monsters, and you, a eight year old boy is asking me to marry him."

"I promise to you Carrie, if you say yes, I will meet with you later. I also promise to protect you always."

"Is that so?  Well, I'll think about it..." 

"No, no.  You must promise now!  Say you will be my bride!" 

"Oh, all right.  When you grow up, I will be your bride.  Is that alright?" 

"Yes.  Very good. Thank you, my mother always worried I would not get married." Malus looked at Reinhardt now. "You are going to try and face Dracula, aren't you?"

            "Yes."

            "Will you avenge my mother and father?"

            "I swear it."

            A sudden change came over Malus' face. Malus then began to laugh. "Impossible. You will all die; you are all going to die here! All living creatures must consecrate their souls to the dark lord!  To the kingdom of darkness where no wretched sunlight comes."

            "Malus wait!" Carrie yelled as he ran out the door. "What is wrong with him? Why is he acting so confused?"

            Reinhardt put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know why, Carrie. All I know is that we have a purpose here. The sooner we are done with it, the sooner perhaps we can save Malus, even from himself."

            Reinhardt stared at the bottle of nitro. "Now, here comes the difficult part."

            "Who is going to carry the nitro," Henry asked.

            'I am. It will be yours and Carrie's job to protect me. Should anything so much as rattle me, we will be all good as dead." Reinhardt grasped the magical nitro and slowly began to walk towards the door. He stood near the door and waited until Henry opened it for him. Immediately upon exiting the room the whole hall was lit with flames. Whereas before it was almost pitch black, now flames erupted from the dragon-sculpted walls. Reinhardt had to time his walk correctly so as not to get burned. This was the first of several surprises that Reinhardt and the others found on their way to the coliseum. When Reinhardt entered the purple room he had passed through previously, it was now filled with sharp spikes rising and dropping from the ceiling above. It seemed evident now to Henry why never attempted to try and reveal the magical source for the elevator. It was almost suicide. The castle seemed aware that someone was trying something. Even the shiny armored knights that at first seemed dormant were now alive and on a mission to destroy them. When the trio finally reached the large chamber, they were surprised to find that they had one less worry. The large symbol that had been on the wall had been removed. 

            "That was the symbol that Coller mentioned," Henry said. "He said it protected the wall from being destroyed. How was it removed?"

            "Or by who," Reinhardt said as he looked at Carrie.

            "Malus," she said. "That must have been what he said he needed to do for us."

            "Perhaps there is hope for the boy yet."

            "How do you suppose he knew that, Reinhardt?"

            "Not important right now. We have to bring down this wall so let us go ahead and bring the mandragora." Reinhardt placed the explosive next to the large crack in the wall. He then turned and began to make his way to the exit. The three of them entered the torture chamber using the key that Coller gave them. Inside there were two vampires. Reinhardt tackled them both with his whip while Henry and Carrie grabbed the mandragora. After they grabbed it Reinhardt threw a bottle of holy water to the ground. The vampires burned. Within minutes the mandragora was in the large coliseum. As Henry walked closer to the wall where the magical nitro was, the mandragora began to shake in his grasp. When he was putting it down, Henry had to grasp hard on it so that it would not fall. Henry placed it close to the nitro, but not that close. As soon as it was on the ground Henry yelled, "run!" The sound of Henry's voice yelling seemed to excite it even more. The three of them ran as fast as they could. They even hid behind the giant bull for protection. The sound of the explosion was immense. They all covered their ears and still it was almost unbearable. When the sound receded, they all peeked beyond the bull. The wall was gone. Beyond where it had lay was now a huge opening. Inside the opening was the source of a most beautiful light. The real source of the light was a enormous green crystal. Reinhardt, Carrie, and Henry walked into the large opening and marveled at the immensity of the crystal. Carrie seemed entranced to it. In her ear she felt as though she heard…music. Carrie walked very close to it. She extended her hand and touched the crystal. It came alive with colors and began to spin. A huge wave of light burst out into all directions. Carrie seemed to glow with a green aura. When the light subsided, only her eyes were left with the aura, then even that was gone. Henry and Reinhardt ran to her side. 

            "Are you alright?" Henry asked worriedly.

            "Fine, " she said. "I feel fine." Carrie seemed almost surprised. "I think you will find that the lift works now." Reinhardt patted her on the shoulder, "come on" he said. The three emerged from the opening and looked ahead. At the far end of the coliseum was a huge shadowy figure. Reinhardt looked at the center of the room. The bull was not there. Staring at the large shadow that was now moving closer Reinhardt could say only one thing, "dear God." Reinhardt pulled his throwing cross from his pack. "Split up, make it harder for it to get us all. Henry, run to the left, try to shoot it. Carrie, you don't have a projectile weapon so get back into the crystal room." Reinhardt then ran off to the right grasping his cross. The bull targeted Reinhardt first. The bull saw Reinhardt lunge his cross. The cross struck the bull but the bull continued its stampede toward Reinhardt. Meanwhile, Henry fired his pistol in vain at the bull's side. The bullets penetrated the bull's enormous chest but had little or no effect. The bull slowly came to a stop in the center of the room. It then got on its two back legs. Reinhardt tried to think of what he could do to prepare himself but he had no idea what the bull was going to do. A stream of flames suddenly burst out from it nostrils and hit the ground. A shock wave pushed Reinhardt and Henry to the ground. The bull got back on all fours and stared straight ahead. The bull began slowly to move forward and then it increased it's pace. Soon the bull was running straight toward one lone and very small figure standing right outside of the large opening. Carrie stood still and merely raised a hand. Her hand was immediately encased in a bright green orb. That same orb quickly shot out towards the bull. As it flew towards the bull it grew larger and larger until it was big enough to encase the bull entirely. The bull was stopped. Inside the bull could no longer move. Reinhardt and Henry both looked amazed at what they saw. Inside the orb the bull slowly began to melt. Within minutes the bull was nothing more than bones. Reinhardt and Henry ran to Carrie. 

            "Your power? You have it back?"

            "I think so. It feels like it."

            Reinhardt looked at the skeletal remains of the bull. "I think this is a good thing. Now come on. We have no time to waste." Reinhardt and Henry helped Carrie off of the ground from which she sat on. Together they all exited the coliseum. The three headed for the door that they knew would lead them in the direction of the lift. When they entered the large empty chamber with the dirt square. Reinhardt led the way and Henry and Carrie followed. As Reinhardt reached the foot of the steps leading to the exit of the chamber he realized that he was walking alone. Reinhardt spun around to see Carrie and Henry trapped behind bars right in front of the entrance they just came through. Reinhardt turned around to face the center of the room. To his surprise, Rosa was hovering above the ground. In her hand, she held a sword.

"Rosa..." 

"Did I not warn you?  Leave this castle now." 

"I cannot abandon my mission. I must seal Dracula in his tomb!  Until I defeat him, I will not, cannot leave!" 

"So…you are determined to face the Prince." 

"Rosa, he was once a prince of this land, but now he is prince only to evil. Do not ally yourself with him!"

Behind Rosa, a figure slowly appeared. The figure was cloaked in robes that fluttered with the wind. The figure's face was that of death itself. 

The figure spoke in a voice that was impossible to describe in words. "Scion of the Belmont. Beware! You now face death. Strike him down my dear; a foe of the prince is a foe of all vampires. Kill him!"

Rosa turned away from death and faced Reinhardt. Reinhardt backed away from her. He could not fight her he would not. Her eyes were bewitching to him. All he could do was stare at them. She hovered closer to him. Behind him, Reinhardt could hear the yells and pleas of Henry and Carrie, "fight her!" Rosa swung her sword at Reinhardt who barely dodged in time. Rosa came towards him again and again. Each time Reinhardt would barely avoid her blade in time. Rosa also summoned a sort of wave that would push Reinhardt to the ground and give her time to fly towards him. 

Henry looked on as Reinhardt again and again narrowly escaped his death. He knew that Reinhardt could defeat this vampire. Apparently Reinhardt had take a liking to her. That was something that Reinhardt had not heard of, falling in love with a vampire. It was possible, but at the moment, it seemed all too inconvenient. Henry really could not care if Reinhardt loved this vampire which he has only met once before, but he would not let him die over it. Henry thought of what he could do. Then he thought of one small chance to rekindle Reinhardt's warrior flame. 

"Reinhardt!" Henry yelled. Obviously Reinhardt could not stop and face him like in a normal conversation, he could only assume that Reinhardt could hear him. "Reinhardt, you must fight her. Kill her if necessary. Think of why we are here. Think of what we must do. Think of Werner, your brother. Remember?"

Reinhardt only heard the name Werner and he felt something surge in his breast. He looked again into Rosa's eyes. He felt the same about her, but he now remembered his resolve. There was too much at stake for him to give up all because he could not face a woman who he might…love? Did he love Rosa? How could he? He had met her only twice before. She was beautiful, but now she was dangerous. She would kill him. Reinhardt thought that perhaps she does not want to kill him, but she cannot avoid it. It is her mission; one she has been forced to take on. Just like him. Therefore he cannot avoid her. He must fight her. Then…

"…we will be free!" Reinhardt yelled aloud. He jumped into the air and aimed himself at Rosa. The suddenness of his attack threw Rosa off guard. She was not prepared. All she saw was the quick glint of Reinhardt's sword, then moment later she felt as metal broke through her skin. Rosa's expression changed into a face of surprise and shock. Together, Reinhardt and Rosa fell to the ground. Rosa stared up at Reinhardt. Her hand went across his face. Her touch was colder than ever Reinhardt felt, but he did not quiver.

"Please, finish me..." 

"Rosa, I did not mean to..." 

"I cannot stand this agony any more, Reinhardt.  A cursed soul, doomed to exist forever as a vampire..." 

"It was the curse of Dracula that made you a vampire?" 

"Yes, I was never bitten, just cursed. I loved plants. I came to this land to study them, and then I was taken. Please, if you survive, be sure to tell my parents.  Even unto death, I never truly lost my human soul..." 

"Rosa..." A sudden pain entered Reinhardt's shoulder as a scythe impaled him there. Reinhardt reeled away from Rosa because of the pain. "Damn!" Reinhardt cursed.

"You Wretched cur, I will slash you to pieces!" The figure of death then threw a hail of scythes at Reinhardt. Reinhardt rolled along the ground to avoid them. Reinhardt, who was now without a sword, pulled his whip from his waist. Reinhardt began to whip the hovering figure but death was unaffected by it. Desperate Reinhardt grabbed a bottle of holy water from his pack and threw it at the floating figure of death. Death avoided the spill and threw a cluster of scythes as retaliation. The pain from being hit in the shoulder and then having used the same one to throw the holy water made Reinhardt stall for a moment. Reinhardt looked up at the oncoming scythes. The bright color of red filled his vision. For a moment he thought it was blood, immediately he realized that it had been Rosa. She had flung herself in the path of the scythes. 

"Have you forgotten your blood, girl?!  You would give up your existence for him?" 

Reinhardt got on the ground and cradled Rosa in his arms. "Why?"

"Your heart is strong and pure. You can defeat Dracula...  For as long as he exists, the horror will continue.  No one deserves my fate. Make sure this does not happen again." 

"I swear it." 

"Good.  Reinhardt, I fear death.  My sinful soul cannot hope for forgiveness can't it?" 

Reinhardt pulled out a rosary that belonged to his mother. He then held it and Rosa's hand in his. "God of compassion, forgive her." Making the sign of the cross Reinhardt places the rosary in Rosa's hand only. Reinhardt closes Rosa's eyes with his fingers and lays her smooth on the ground. 

"Father almighty, forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil." Reinhardt looked down at Rosa, "Amen."

"Vampire killer, you mourn a vampire's death?" 

"Back to your dark realm!  Soon I'll send Dracula to join you!" 

"Cocksure youth!  I'll wait for you in hell!  Be sure I will keep a warm place for you!!" 

            Reinhardt stood I the center of the chamber. Blood ran down his arm. The sound of metal clanking echoed in the chamber. Carrie and Henry were free of the small cell they had been in. Carrie and Henry were at Reinhardt's side. 

            "I'm sorry." Carrie said. 

            "It's al…its fate."

            "Oh…how positively dramatic. I love it."

            Henry was the first to react to the sound of the female voice. "Look!" Henry said as he pointed to the top of the stairs. "Actrise!" Carrie said.

            "Yes. Quite theatrical." Actrise said half laughing. She came down the steps and circled them. "You know I am a huge fan of the theatre. I have done a few dramas myself, both in front and behind the curtains. Perhaps you have seen one. Does the name Coller ring any bells?"

            "What do you mean?" Henry asked angrily.

            "Coller is an example of one of my living dramas. More appropriately I should say, living tragedies. In my time that was the only Anare you could make a name in. Comedies are so forgettable."

            "What do you want?" Carrie demanded.

            "You three seem to think that you can just run up to Dracula and face him? No no no. There is a procedure. You see all life is a stage. Like in theatre you must audition for the part. You must prove that you are worthy."

            "We don't need to prove anything. Least of all to you." Reinhardt said. "Now be gone witch. We are not interested in what you have to say."

            "Oh but you have no choice. One way or another, you are all going to play my game." Actrise suddenly and quickly extended her staff and pointed it at Henry. A blast of light that seemed like lightening struck Henry and made him disappear. Carrie immediately began to form one of her magical orbs but Actrise was to quick and she was gone as well. Reinhardt clutched his whip and prepared himself for whatever was coming.

            "Not again. You witch, not again."

            "Choi." Actrise said. In a flash, Reinhardt was gone. Once again Actrise had set the stage to her liking. This time though, her play would prove much more interesting.

            "Where did you send the boy named Henry?" a voice said from behind her.

            "Taking an interest in my performances, Gilles?" 

            "It is a…family matter."

            "You will like my game. It is, logical, strategic, just you line of thinking. The boy has fancied himself a fan of technology. Now he will have to face it in its cruelest form. Perhaps you should like to go to the tower and watch?"

            "You play dangerous games, Actrise."

            "We shall see."


	29. Sorcery

            "I can hear singing." Carrie said to no one in particular. "Is it singing? It is music at the very least."

            "Yes. It is."

            "Who?"

            "This is a chapel of lost souls."

            Carrie opened her eyes. She stood upon an icy surface but it was smooth. It was a crystal pathway floating above nothing. Around her it was pitch-black darkness. The only light came from what seemed to be beautiful stain glass windows.

            "What must I do?"

            "Actrise has placed you here. Your task appears simple, but it is not. You must reach the other end of this path."

            Carrie began to walk forward. She did not question the voice any further. Somehow she knew that it did not know anything else. This was a place for lost souls that have been taken because of this castle. The voice was one of them. This knowledge seemed no surprise to Carrie. She felt confident. She felt like she had not felt since before she lost her power. It was her power that seemed to give her confidence. No. She had to stop thinking that. She must think that she gives herself confidence. Only through attaining more knowledge can she hope to be more confident. Carrie began to walk along the crystal path. Ahead of her something emerged. It looked like a large crystal. Something inside told her that it was something else. For a moment it was still. Then the crystal sprouted arms. Carrie immediately felt the danger. It began to race towards her with it's arms outstretched. Carrie pointed her fists at it.

            "Back!" she cried. A blast launched from her fists and blew the crystal into small shards.

            "Focus on what you need, and it will happen. That is the key to mastering your power," a voice said. The voice was soothing. It did not seem aggressive. Carrie did not feel out of place listening to it. In fact, it sounded, familiar.

            "Run. Your friends will need you."

            Upon hearing this Carrie began to run along the path with great speed. In part she regretted having to hurry herself. This place, wherever it was, was beautiful. Further along the path Carrie noticed something following her. It was another crystal entity. This time it was in the form of a bird. Carrie began to run as fast as she could but the bird was faster. A shiny substance began to sprout from its beak. When it hit Carrie it was cold as ice. It first dropped onto the neck collar tied around her neck. She felt a chill run down her spine and she ripped the collar from her neck. It fell to the ground and turned to crystal. Carrie stopped and stared at the crystal bird. The bird had already sprouted more of its crystal liquid. This time Carrie was unable to avoid it. The liquid dropped onto her wrist. Instantly the liquid began to spread and crystallize her body. Within minutes Carrie was encased in a block of crystal. The bird circled for several moments. It was then struck down by a kind blast. The blast emerged from within the block Carrie was in. Soon another blast came out. There was another and several more blast before finally Carrie was free. Carrie was on her knees for a few moments as she tried to warm herself with her own magical orbs which radiated a small amount of heat.

            A laugh began to echo in the tower. 

"Actrise..." 

"Have you considered my offer to train you?"

Carrie remained silent.

"I see. That face of utter defiance tells me everything I need to know. 

"I will destroy Dracula!  Stand in my way, and I will kill you too." 

"You have power, girl.  But your opponent today is not me."

Carrie continued running along the path until she saw the exit ahead of her. Standing before the exit was a young woman. "Who?  I sense a power in her that matches my own."

"You could surpass her. All you require is some training."

"Who is she?"

"I think it prudent know to give you a little lesson in your own origins."

"What?"

"As in all plays, there must always be exposition." Actrise suddenly appeared behind Carrie. Carrie was startled and backed away from her. She then turned and looked at the young woman that hovered in front of the exit.

"You were born Carrie Fernandez. The Spanish family you were born into has its roots in another well-known family. More specifically you are descendant of a woman named Sypha Belnandes. Sypha was a…colleague of mine. Our interest conflicted at one point and we became the best of enemies. Sypha was a powerful sorceress. We clashed many times." Actrise lowered her head feigning sorrow. "Her death was a great loss to me. Revenge denied can do that to you. So for many years I thought about how else I could take revenge on her. One day I discovered that she had descendants. Her bloodline continued. Obviously I could not allow that so I planned to murder her surviving family. Survive they did. The family succeeded in living long enough to propagate into quite a large number. Because of their great power they were outcasts though. They were forced to stay together and move like a band of gypsies traveling all over Europe. It happened one day many years ago that they moved in my direction. It had been many years since I had gone against them. The oldest of them had probably only read of me in a footnote in their old library. So I managed to possess their most powerful, their patriarch, Ana." Actrise pointed to the young woman. 

Carrie looked into Ana's eyes. They were cold and empty. The name Ana echoed in her head until she remembered. That was the woman that had been taken from that man Coller. Presumably this was his wife. 

"She is your cousin actually."

"My cousin…" a tear rolled Carrie's cheek.

            "I used her as a weapon to murder your whole family."

            Carrie closed her eyes. She remembered the flames and the caravan. She was just a baby but the memories were there. 

            "She has been my tool of destruction for the past eight years. Mindless, soulless, but efficient."

            "Soulless?"

            "Yes. Your suspicion is right. That was her voice that was helping you. She is in here. Lost with a thousand or more souls that this castle has digested of the past hundred years." Actrise clapped her hands and breathed heavily. "Well now that the expositions over. You know who you are. You know who she is. Now it is time for one of my favorite kinds of setups. When Blood relations must battle."

            "Never!"

            "Oh but you don't have a choice."

            The pathway that Carrie was standing on suddenly broke away from the rest. It began to float upwards, as did Ana. Ana's eyes were still empty but now they seemed alive. They stared at Carrie as though she were her prey. Ana formed the same magical orbs that Carrie could. On so short a platform Carrie could barely dodge the blasts. Carrie looked at the path she had been on; it had completely broken into individual platforms like. The one she was on right now. This time Ana did not use a magical orb, she used fire. Carrie lunged for one of the other platforms. Carrie caught the tip of one and pulled herself up. Ana followed her now releasing icy blast very similar to that of the bird. Carrie remembered what Ana's soul had told her, "Focus on what you need, and it will happen." Carrie focused on what she thought she needed. She needed a shield to protect her from the ice blasts. A circle of defense surrounded her and stopped the blast from hitting her. The platform she was on began to move fast throughout the tower. Carrie passed by all the glass windows and she could hear all the souls crying out. Carrie lost track of where Ana was. She looked all over and did not see her. The Carrie thought to look down. Ana's broken reflection came rising up through the platform Carrie was on. Her platform was shattered instantly and Carrie was suddenly falling. Carrie lunged for something, anything. She grasped Ana's foot and Ana looked down. Her empty eyes showed no hint of satisfaction or regret. 

"She had great spirit once. She struggled mightily against the curse...  Now she is wholly mine, a hunter desperate for blood.  What joy!  Two cousins fighting to the death! That would make an incredible show." Actrise's laugh filled the tower. Ana's piercing stare hypnotized Carrie. She could not believe. Could this killing automaton really be her blood relation? Ana released another ice burst. The cold shiver made Carrie let go of her foot. Carrie disappeared into the darkness of the abyssal tower. Her frozen eyes locked in a stare with that of her last blood relative.


	30. Strength

Chapter 29: Strength 

            Reinhardt stumbled through the darkness in which he had been dropped into. Finally he emerged to find bright green colors greeting him. He was standing in the roof of some kind of tower. The tower rose out of what looked like a bright green acid. Reinhardt saw that there were several other towers as well. All of these towers were lined up going around the interior if the larger structure that they were all in. The towers were arranged from smallest to largest. Reinhardt was on the tallest. Reinhardt pulled from his backpack a small retractable scope. Reinhardt saw through the scope that at the lowest tower, which was far across from the one he was on, was another archway. Apparently this was the exit. Reinhardt would have to jump from rooftop to rooftop to reach it. Reinhardt examined the rooftop he was on. The rooftop was square like all the others and slightly smaller than the tower it covered. Reinhardt then jumped down into the lower section of the tower. The lower section was just and empty area. The only curious thing about it was a small square hole in the center of it. Reinhardt thought that the smartest thing to do would be to avoid investigating it, but he also knew that there was a reason that Actrise would have thrust him into this place. Reinhardt approached the opening. As soon as Reinhardt placed both feet completely underneath the roof, bars came down form the ceiling and trapped him inside. In the center, a platform came up form the hole. On the platform was a creature that Reinhardt had never faced before. The creature was half man, half cheetah. It full body was that of a normal human, only its head and speed were that of the cheetah. The cheetah-man raced towards Reinhardt and punched him in the face. The punch sent Reinhardt to the ground. Reinhardt slowly got up only to hear a short growling noise. The noise was followed by a figure brushing past him and leaving him with a terrible pain in the stomach. Reinhardt was on his knees when he heard the growl again. This time Reinhardt was sent flying towards the bars behind him. He spat blood and coughed heavily as he was now having trouble breathing. The pain in his stomach surged as he got up. Actrise had apparently chosen to test Reinhardt's strength against monsters, he thought. It was an unfair match. The cheetah-man's speed would be too much for him. How could he hit what he could not catch? Reinhardt thought what his brother would do. Werner would use his brains to solve this challenge. The growl came again and this time Reinhardt managed to dodge it by moving out of the way. Reinhardt grasped his whip with all of the speed he could and swung it around the cheetah-man's neck as it had stopped to avoid hitting the bars. The cheetah growled and struggled to release itself from the grasp of Reinhardt's chain whip. When it gave up, it growled once more and began to run around the area with great speed. The cheetah-man was now dragging Reinhardt along the floor of the tower. The shoulder with which Reinhardt had been struck with a scythe was now bleeding. He let go of the whip and the cheetah-man continued to run. Reinhardt clasped his hand over the wound in order to stop the bleeding, meanwhile the creature untangled itself form the chain whip. Reinhardt knew what was the giveaway now. The cheetah-man growled and Reinhardt discreetly unsheathed a knife from his pack. When the cheetah-man struck Reinhardt in the chest once more, the cheetah felt more pain than he did. Reinhardt twisted the knife that was now digging into the cheetah-man's insides. The cheetah made a slight purr as it slouched over Reinhardt's bloody shoulder. The bars that had trapped them both inside the tower fell into the acid river below the instant that the cheetah touched the ground. Reinhardt looked above and saw that the roof above was caving in. Reinhardt stood on the edge of the tower as the smaller rooftop caved in and the tower was now just a big pillar. Behind Reinhardt was another open area underneath the rooftop of another tower. Likewise, the tower had a hole in the center where no doubt his next test would come. The space in between towers was not much so Reinhardt leapt from one to the other. Reinhardt removed his red scarf and bandaged his shoulders. His scarf became an even darker red. Reinhardt breathed heavily for several minutes before approaching the center hole. He also drank water from the bottle in his backpack. Reinhardt the last drops of water from his bottle of water and threw it into the abyss below. Reinhardt had picked up his chain whip from where the cheetah-man had dropped it and had it wrapped around his waist. Reinhardt pulled his cross from his backpack and held it ready as he slowly took steps towards the hole. When the platform came up and he saw his enemy, Reinhardt rolled backwards and kneeled in a battle position. This time his foe was a creature of renowned myth. The half-man, half bull minotaur held a pitchfork in his hands and aimed it at Reinhardt. Reinhardt flung his cross as soon as the minotaur threw his pitchfork. The two weapons collided in the air. Reinhardt charged at the monster and rolled between its two enormous legs and jumped to his feet behind him. With his whip already in hand Reinhardt began to whip the minotaur repeatedly. The minotaur blocked the flinging with his arms and caught one it's horns inside a link of Reinhardt's chain whip. The minotaur tugged at the whip with it's head, causing Reinhardt to tumble to the ground. Reinhardt was dazed for a moment when he found a large shadow looming above him. Reinhardt turned in time to see the minotaur's large hand grasping him around the chest. Reinhardt was lifted into the air and then thrust back down into the ground hard. Pain surged all over his body. Reinhardt felt dizzy from it all. Reinhardt's legs were in shock. He crawled on the ground in whatever direction instinct dictated to him. It was impossible for Reinhardt to out rub the minotaur who was on its hoofed feet. Reinhardt's vision blurred slowly into darkness as he felt the pounding of the minotaur's fist against his whole body. With his last ounce of strength, Reinhardt swung a sharp object from his backpack at whatever was nearby him. Reinhardt who could no longer see anything, faded into unconsciousness, he only felt his arm jab into something rough. Had Reinhardt been able to see, he was now lying underneath the now dead minotaur. In a moment of pride the minotaur stopped his barrages while Reinhardt almost subconscious had pulled an axe from his backpack and slashed the minotaur clear across the chest. Blood now stained Reinhardt's armor and he lay totally unaware of the figure the bloodied scene. 

            "Two down, one to go, " Actrise said with a smile. 


	31. Science

Before Henry had opened his eyes, he felt that his body was moving by itself. After awakening he realized he was on some kind of moving belt. Sitting on this belt, Henry did not have to walk at all. Wherever the belt led to, he would find out soon enough. As the belt moved along, Henry saw that there was a square hole in part of the approaching wall. Henry got up from the belt and stood ready to inspect it. A hair before Henry was in front of it a large square block emerged from the hole in the wall. It surprised Henry but it seemed harmless. Henry hurried up so that he could inspect the block. Before Henry could touch it, the block sprouted spikes. Henry looked behind him and saw that another block was now behind him, it too had also sprouted spikes. Henry passed another hole in the wall and yet another block was behind him. The space between Henry and the blocks was getting shorter. If another block joined the line then Henry would either be crushed or impaled. Henry could not swing along the side of the block to get in front of the first one because the belt was running in too narrow a pathway. Henry would have to jump over it. Henry grabbed the spike coming out of the first block and climbed it like a ladder. Henry immediately jumped off of the block. As he did, smaller spikes emerged from where he had touched the block. Now that Henry was in front of the block, he could see that the belt was reaching it's end. At the end there was a single iron door. When henry reached it he jumped off of the belt and onto safe ground that was in front of the door. Th belt meanwhile turned off to the right where there was a hole much like the ones that the blocks had come out of. When Henry walked up to the iron door it instantly flew upwards. Henry walked beyond the doorway and into a round chamber. Henry took several steps forward and the door slammed shut behind. Henry looked down at his feet and saw that his foot had broken some kind of light beam. The room enormous and the walls had small square openings in them. Inside those openings were either a mirror or some kind of lighting device. As a result of walking through the chamber Henry broke various light beams which then caused reflections in certain mirrors. When Henry broke a certain light beam he heard a small clicking noise. Henry then noticed that there was a third kind of square hole in the wall. Out of one of those square holes came out a long steel barrel. The barrel resembled that of Henry's own pistol. The barrel then fired and Henry found himself dodging a bullet. The bullet struck exactly where he had been standing. As Henry had dodged the bullet, he broke other beam of light and then heard more clicking noises. Bullets began to spray all over the chamber and Henry found himself on the run for cover. Henry looked all around the room and could see no such cover. For him it was inconceivable how this could be happening. Henry allowed his instincts to guide his body while his thoughts centered on how to escape this.  
  
Above the chamber where Henry was now fighting for dear life was a panel of windows. Behind the windows was an observatory. From this observatory, a single person could observe the actions of those inside the lower chambers. This observatory also had access to other such rooms above all of the chambers inside the tower of science. This tower was Coller's contribution to Dracula's forces. The tower was a death trap at every turn. Every death trap in every chamber of this tower was made from science. It was science that allowed Coller to calculate the different angles of the light beams to control the guns that were armed in the chamber. In order to walk one step in the room, you had to break at least one beam of light. By breaking a single beam you would cause a new reflection unto a certain mirror. By light hitting a particular mirror, a sensor would be set off informing the large machinery in the walls of the chamber to release one of the guns hidden behind the walls and to have it come out at a certain angle. That angle was mathematically determined by calculating which light beams would set off each individual mirror. The computations took months. The result was an almost infallible death trap. Coller was now standing in the observatory. He came to the tower for the first time in years. After Henry and his group had been taken, they had left a fully functional lift. Coller thought about just leaving. Then Coller thought what if Dracula really was back? So he took the elevator to his worst creation because somehow he knew that he might find one of Henry's group trapped here. Somehow it was fatefully ironic. The even greater irony is that Coller had designed that this tower should last forever. To walk in through the wrong door was almost certain death. There was no way to stop all of the thousands of machinery at work in this tower. That was not actually true Coller thought to himself as he entered another chamber. The chamber that Coller now entered was a central one, in fact the center for al of the chambers in the tower. At a far end of the room was a wall completely filled with moving gears and cogs. The walls of the towers were lined with such gears and cogs. They were what kept this tower alive and running. Stop or jam any one of the gears and a back would continue to run the machines. Everything had a back up, except this one section. This wall was a nerve center. It was from this central point that all the cogs in this giant machine start from. There was a space in an inch between two sets of moving cogs. With a big enough object you could jam the both of them and stop this tower dead. The only problem was that this space was covered by layers of moving parts moving at high speeds in front of it. Coller grabbed the piece he had designed specifically for the purpose of shutting the tower off. It was dusty because it had lay untouched for years. Coller made for any unlucky soul that was prepared to make a great sacrifice in order to turn off this tower. Coller never dreamed that he would be the one to make that sacrifice. Coller looked at the moving parts as the rushed up, down, and sideways before his eyes. His lizard body had given him greater speed, but it would not enough. Coller stared at the parts trying to memorize the timing of the machines. Coller took a deep breath. He thought of Ana and then thrust his arm into the empty space that was open for just a split second of time. In that split second Coller knew he would not have to worry about removing his arm, only that he must thrust his arm with the object into the machine as far and as fast as possible. A split second later, Coller felt as metal began to crush and slice through the skin of his arm. Coller felt as the machinery tore through his bone crushing it into dusty particles. Finally the machines stopped but his arm was still inside. Coller felt himself locked in a eternity of pain. Coller's moans echoed in the chamber as he pulled hard on his arm until finally…  
  
Henry lay on the ground, exhausted from running, rolling, and jumping across the round chamber. He had no idea why the guns stopped. Perhaps they ran out of bullets, he thought. It then that henry noticed a door opposite where he had come in. Henry stood and walked towards it. It did not open and so he was forced to push it open himself. Henry did so with the doors of all the chambers he entered. Henry passed through the chambers of the tower of science, which was now dormant. None of the many traps moved a inch. Henry marveled at the assortment of traps that awaited him had he found a way past the first chamber. Now more than ever, Henry was puzzled by why the tower stopped working. After Henry had moved through several chambers, one of the doors opened up before him. A green skinned arm reached out from the other side and opened it completely. Coller stood before Henry leaning against a wall grasping a blood gushing stump of his right arm. Coller spoke softly in his slithery voice.   
  
"Don't worry, it will grow back." Coller fell to the ground before Henry. Henry knelt beside and inspected the wound. Coller had had his arm literally torn off. The stump was uneven with some excess skin hanging off of chipped bone. Henry had no idea what to do for his old friend. Henry just started to say a prayer. Henry removed his helmet for the first time since he had began this journey. He wanted Coller to see his face. He then quickly began to search his backpack for something to tie up the wound.   
  
"Your friend will live…" a voice from behind said. Henry turned and a fist hit him hard across the face. Henry tasted blood on his lips.   
  
"…Unlike you my little grand pup."  
  
Henry looked up from the floor and saw Gilles De Rais staring down at him. His appearance had not changed in the eight years since he had last seen him. The face and eyes of the man who took away his father's soul enraged Henry. Henry got up and rushed at him in blind rage. Henry managed to push him to the ground. On top of him, Henry began to strike him repeatedly.   
  
"Murdering bastard!"  
  
Gilles caught both of Henry's punches and pushed him off of himself. Gilles stood and kicked a kneeling Henry in the side of the face. Gilles then dragged him by the collar and threw him against the iron wall of the chamber they were in.   
  
"I will make something known to you, Henry De Rais."  
  
"Don't…call me that," Henry said from the floor.   
  
"With my powers as a vampire, I could bite you and turn you over to my side. I could summon hordes of bats to come and feed off of you. I could also transform myself into a wolf and eat you whole. But I find that with all these powers, nothing would be more pleasing than to beat you into a pulp with my bare hands!" Gilles picked up Henry and threw him across and he landed on top of Coller.   
  
Gilles continued even though Henry began to crawl away slowly. "In the time of my youth I was a great soldier. I fought alongside a great prince of Wallachia. I served him until enemies beheaded him, then they did the same to me." Gilles kicked Henry in the chest and Henry rolled. "In death he recruited me to serve him again. I have served him through life and through hell! Now I serve him through death, as a vampire!" Gilles looked at Henry. "I had a child once. The wimp was born of a lowly servant girl of the court. I tried to make a ma of the boy. He was soft. I beat him to try and discipline him. So stupid was he that he would not respond. He would not learn. An unbeaten child was a spoiled child." Gilles picked Henry up and head butted him before throwing him to ground once more. "That is what your father was! That is what you are! Spoiled! I thought I could teach your father by turning him over, he was repentant."   
  
Henry opened one eye and looked up at Gilles. Gilles returned the gaze. "Yes, your father took his own life. He staked himself." Tears rolled down Henry's cheeks. Gilles spread his fangs and hissed at Henry. "Weakling! Just like you!" Gilles picked up Henry and lifted him off the ground. "I will not allow such vermin tarnish my family name! The De Rais will always be strong."  
  
Henry spit blood into Gilles face. Gilles licked it like it was water. "I could stake you. I could throw holy water and burn you." Henry coughed. "But what I would find more pleasing…" Gilles felt cold steel press against the side of his head. "…is to blow your reanimated brain out of your skull!" Henry squeezed the trigger of his pistol and blood and bodily fluids gushed out of the holes that Henry made in Gilles skull. Henry unloaded all six bullets from his chamber. Gilles grip on Henry loosened and they both fell to the ground. Henry looked at Gilles motionless body. "On second thought, I think I will stake you." Henry grabbed a stake from his backpack and drove it through Gilles heart. The body twitched for a moment and then fell motionless again. Henry grabbed Gilles body and ripped up his fancy jacket and returned to Coller's side.   
  
"Coller?" Coller grunted. "I'm going to wrap this around your wound to stop any further bleeding. Alright?" Coller was silent. Henry did as he said and Coller slowly opened his large lizard eyes.  
  
"Killed him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Coller nodded his head. "Your father would be proud of the man you are today."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"Your father was a good man, Henry. He was only unfortunate enough not to know where he was from. Finding his roots destroyed him, but you came out stronger."  
  
"I have missed him. I have missed my mother."  
  
Coller nodded. Coller then began to sniff. His eyes widened. "Actrise!" Coller sprang up from the floor using his one arm and tail. He looked all around the room and searched for his prey. Actrise appeared behind both Coller and Henry. Coller turned and tried to grab her by the neck but her form was not solid. She was like a ghost.   
  
"You bitch! How many years since you last tormented me!"  
  
"Coller," Actrise signed. "Always such a delight to run into you." Actrise turned to Henry. "Wondering where your friends are? Try the tower of execution. Save them if you can. But hurry, time is short." Actrise turned back and faced Coller. "It has been a long time since I have tormented you, hasn't it? Perhaps just once more for old times sake."  
  
"Do your worst witch."  
  
Actrise winked at Coller, "I already have." Slowly she faded away. Henry looked at Coller. "What did she mean, she already has?"  
  
"How should I know? She has taken my wife and murdered her soul, she has transformed me into a lizard, and she trapped me here in this castle for years." Coller looked at his stump. "At least as a lizard this will grow…" Coller looked at his own skin. "…back." Henry saw that Coller's skin was slowly changing from green to a sort of each color. Coller began to scream and fell to the ground. Henry was motionless as he watched Coller's body mutate before his eyes. His tail grew shorter and his snout was being sucked back into his face. Slowly and painfully, the Coller that Henry remembered was coming back into form. Within minutes Coller lay nude on the ground, a normal human being once more. Coller opened his eyes and looked at Henry. Coller felt almost exhilarated. His vision was back to the way it was before. Coller felt the hair of his head and body. Coller even looked downwards just to be sure that all his equipment was back to its normal state. For the first time in eight years, Coller was truly human again. It almost felt uncomfortable to him. Then Coller realized something. His hands, his hand. Coller looked at his right arm or what was left of it.  
  
"My God." Henry said.   
  
Coller yelled at the top of his lungs. Actrise had given him back the humanity that she had stripped from him eight years ago only to keep him from having his arm back.   
  



	32. Execution

Reinhardt had been trying to break free of the bonds that held him for about fifteen minutes. He looked to his right and two skeleton warriors were carrying Carrie on a stretcher. Carrie was unconscious as she was still thawing. When Reinhardt had first seen her, she was a block of ice. The skull warriors that were carrying him stopped for a moment. Reinhardt was also on a similar stretcher but with straps around the waist, wrists, and ankles. The two skulls laid him against a wall beside Carrie who they left on the floor. If Reinhardt could use one word to describe where he and Carrie were right now, he would say hell. Reinhardt felt himself covered in sweat. Beneath and around the floor of where they were, the structure was built above a huge ocean of lava. The heat was incredible. The skulls stood in front of Reinhardt field of view for a minute before they parted and allowed a large figure to step before Reinhardt. The figure towered above Reinhardt. He was a giant.  
  
"Dracula," Reinhardt said.   
  
Eyes that were hundreds of years old stared into Reinhardt's with contempt and hatred. Dracula grasped Reinhardt around the neck and lifted Reinhardt up. Reinhardt was somewhat surprised to see Dracula's face wrinkled and scarred. Descriptions of Dracula have been vague but nothing ever came close to describing what he saw. The Dracula standing before Dracula was a creature on its last leg of life. His breathing was shallow just like his voice.   
  
"The name Belmont, has been a scourge in my life since I was prince of all this land." Dracula stepped closer to Reinhardt and stared into his eyes. "I look into your eyes and see a brief glimpse of my own life. How many years have a dedicated to wiping your bloodline from existence?"  
  
"Not enough."  
  
"I find it so odd. I have met so many of your ancestors, and yet with the rare exception, I have really only hated so few of them. You have no doubt trained your whole life for a moment that may or may not have come. I could easily have just waited a full hundred years before awakening and your whole life would have been meaningless. The highlight of so many of your ancestor's lives has been a ten minute battle with a hundred year old vampire whom they have never met before."  
  
Reinhardt's expression did not change. He also did not find himself inclined to respond to his opinion about the life that he has led. Reinhardt was proud to serve, and so he imagined were all previous members of his family.   
  
"Your coming has coincided with an important moment in my plans. It is ironic that you should have come now. Very soon I will be restored to full power. At that time, all of humanity will regret that they were born into this existence!" Dracula turned to the skull warriors that were around him and nodded at them. "Did I not tell you? All who oppose me will suffer and die."  
  
The skull warriors picked Reinhardt up and carried him off through a walkway that led to a circular chamber. The chamber walls were made of the same stone as the floor of the rest of this tower but in this chamber the floor was a steel grille. The grille has a circular opening in the center. Reinhardt was placed lying against a part of the circular wall. Carrie, who was stilled dazed, was shackled to the wall not far from him. Reinhardt looked up at the ceiling and saw that there was a circular opening of equal size as to that of the opening on the grille. A new skeleton warrior entered the chamber. This warrior was actually dressed in armor. The skull stood before Reinhardt, and to his surprise, spoke.   
  
"I am Harrhausen. This execution tower is my world. It will also be the last place you will have visited in your current existence. The chamber you are in is called a splash chamber." The skull pointed it's skeletal arm upwards to the opening in the ceiling. "Through that opening in the ceiling of the chamber, will fall rocks of various sizes. Each rock will fall into the lake of lava that flows beneath the floor of the tower. Depending on the size of the rock, the splash it makes will either hit or miss you. If a drop of lava spills onto you, count on pain. This lava will of course melt your skin off of your bones. It is at that point of course that you will die." Harrhausen turned and marched out of the chamber followed by his four warriors. Harrhausen was the one who closed and locked the chamber. Reinhardt immediately began to try and break free from his shackles but quickly realized that he could not. Reinhardt looked toward Carrie.   
  
"Carrie! Snap out of it Carrie!" It was no use. Carrie was still to dazed to even hear what he was saying. Soon, a loud mechanical sound was echoing in the chamber. The sound emanated from the hole in the ceiling. The sound became louder and louder until it suddenly went silent and the first rock dropped from the hole. The rock was the size of a child's play ball and barely made a splash. Reinhardt breathed heavily. Reinhardt began to squeeze his hand through the wrist shackle but after several minutes had only accomplished to tear up the skin of his wrist. Now he was bleeding slightly. Reinhardt pressed himself against the wall as the mechanical sound started again. He looked to Carrie who was practically leaning forward.   
  
"Damn it Carrie! Lean back! Lean back!"  
  
The instant that the sound ceased another rock came falling through the hole. This rock was not so small. It struck the surface of the lava and drops of lava flew upwards and landed nearby the both of them. One drop land on the tip of Reinhardt's boot. His boot sizzled. In the heat, Reinhardt was finding it hard to think and concentrate. In his mind he was debating whether to continue squeezing through the wrist shackle or to take a chance that the next rock would not kill them both.   
  
Flames erupted where the rock had fallen through. The flames grabbed Carrie's confused mind's attention. Carrie did not know that she was leaning forward to her death. Carrie's mind was elsewhere. Carrie was now traveling back eight years ago. Carrie remembered the caravan. She remembered her parents, her real parents. She remembered her cousin Ana being sick. She also remembered Ana returning and murdering everyone. Her parents ran. They ran for a long time, but eventually they were caught. Carrie had not even recovered from watching her entire clan burned alive that she had to then watch as her mother and father were also burned by nearby villagers. The image floated before Carrie's eyes and she instantly snapped back to reality. Her attention back where it should be, Carrie felt as her magical orbs broke the shackles around her wrists. As they broke, a large rock fell into the lava and Carrie once again concentrated and a shield was erected between her and the splashes. The shield protected Reinhardt as well.   
  
"Quickly, Carrie, get out of these shackles."  
  
Carrie attended to Reinhardt who within second was free of his bonds. With the shield still in place, they both walked towards the iron door that sealed them in. Carrie had to concentrate to keep the shield up. She felt the shield slip if her mind focused on something else. She practically had to ignore what Reinhardt was saying in order to protect them both. Reinhardt saw this and began looking for a way out. Reinhardt then heard a banging noise. Suddenly Reinhardt a voice call out to him as the locks on the iron door were undone.   
  
"Stand back!" the voice called out. Seconds later the door swung open and Henry came running in. Hanging above Henry, he was carrying Harrhausen who was cursing loudly. Henry threw him into the lava pit where he slowly began to sink.   
  
"Don't think you have seen the last of me! Sooner or later you will all face me once more!" Instantly an enormous rock came falling from above. The trio backed out of the chamber but saw the rock strike Harrhausen into the depths of the lava lake. It was Coller who slammed the door shut as the splashes of lava came hurling towards the walls of the chamber. Reinhardt was the first to subtlety ask who was their new companion.   
  
"This is Coller. He is an old friend of mine."  
  
Reinhardt looked at Coller's bandaged arm. He then noticed that Henry had taken off his helmet. Henry saw that Reinhardt had noticed this and merely said, "It's too hot to be running around in stuffy armor."  
  
"Will you be joining our journey, Coller?" Reinhardt asked.   
  
Coller stood silent for a moment. He breathed heavily and turned to Henry. "Lad, I don't think I will be of much use to you."  
  
"Coller! You can't. Where would you go?"  
  
"Aye. Where would I go. I have only got one arm, I'm tired, and out of shape. I'm useless to you all. Anyway, I have a quest of my ow to fulfill."  
  
"Coller. If it is taking your vengeance on Actrise, you are more likely to find her and beat her of you come with us."  
  
"It is not just that, lad. I left many things back in the castle center. Many of my inventions could be very harmful to the world if they got out. I cannot ask you all to back track just for my sake. So, it would be better if you three press on, and allow me to take care of my own."  
  
Henry turned away from Coller. Reinhardt laid a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Coller, you are aware that if we succeed in killing Dracula, the castle will be destroyed and your work with it. There is no real need for you to go back."  
  
Coller smiled. "You know, there is a story that one of the disciples was once trying to escape from a city where the Romans were rounding up Jesus' apostles. He could have escaped and lived longer, but you know what it was said to have happened? They say he saw Jesus walking back to the city. This was after the crucifixion so he should have known that it could not be Jesus alive, nevertheless, the apostle turned around and walked back to the city knowing that they would catch him and behead him. Well, I see the ghosts of many people walking back to my workshop. They're the ghosts of people who will die if I don't go back and make sure." Coller pointed toward a darkened hall. "That is the way for you to go. I showed Henry the path. You are not far from Dracula."  
  
Reinhardt released Henry. He looked towards Coller and nodded his head in almost a saluting fashion. Reinhardt looked at Carrie and beckoned her to follow him down the hall. Carrie looked at Coller. What was only a brief moment Coller was an eternity for Carrie. In a small way, Coller was actually the last true family she had. He was married to a woman supposedly her cousin. She debated whether or not to tell him. She thought better, what good would it do him to know that Ana's soulless body was still floating about. Carrie turned and joined Reinhardt. Henry was the last one standing. Henry looked at Coller.  
  
"You are sure?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
Henry shook his only hand. "Then I wish luck. I hope you make it out safe. If not, know that it was an honor to fight along your side."  
  
"Aye, lad. Same here." Coller released his hand and gestured to the hall where Reinhardt and Carrie stood waiting. "Go on now." Henry turned and slowly walked to the hall. When he reached the others, Henry turned to look one last time at his old friend. Coller stood there smiling. Henry barely knew the man, yet they had been brought together by adversity and become friends by journeying through fire. Henry turned and took the lead. He began to lead Reinhardt and Carrie following the directions that Coller had given them.   
  
The three ran with urgency knowing that their journey was closer than ever to ending.  
  



	33. Rooftop Battle

Reinhardt, Carrie and Henry slowly traversed the immense interior of the clock tower. The clock tower might well be the largest in the world, for inside it was a maze of moving parts. Henry found it somewhat reminiscent of the walls of the science tower. The trio carefully jumped from platform to platform. Together they made their way across various horizontal cylinders and leaping from gear to gear. Finally the group reached what seemed to be the end of it. They emerged in a small circular room. Built into the walls of the circular room were large eight-foot tall grandfather clocks. All three of them stood motionless captured by the quiet ticking of the clocks. It was Carrie who finally broke the silence.   
  
"We should leave here. There is something not right about this place."  
  
"There is nothing right about anything in this castle," Henry said.  
  
"Perhaps she is right," Reinhardt said. Reinhardt pointed to an archway that was blocked by a iron door. "We cannot go that way. Obviously we are meant to go through that open archway." Reinhardt took the lead and began to walk through the open archway. Carrie and Henry followed Reinhardt through a long hallway until it led to a dead end. Reinhardt examined the wall searching for any possible clue. Henry meanwhile looked upwards and noticed a square opening in the ceiling.   
  
"Look," he said pointing at the opening. The three gathered close together to try and see beyond the opening. As soon as the three were bunched together, the floor beneath them began to rise and they were being taken upwards by a lift. When the lift had stopped they found themselves apparently on the rooftop of the clock tower they had been in. The three disembarked off of the lift and began to walk across the rooftop. Henry leaned over the edge of the rooftop. He was instantly taken aback by how high they were above the ground. When Henry turned around all he saw was a glint gold as a bird like figure struck him in the face and he fell to the ground. Reinhardt heard the clang of Henry's armor hit the ground. He immediately looked towards Henry only to see him already lying on the ground. Standing over him was none other than Actrise. Actrise raised her staff with a bird head and a lightening bolt fired out and hit Reinhardt square in the chest. Reinhardt clutched himself in pain. Slowly Reinhardt came to his knees and then finally lay unconscious like Henry.   
  
"Your little group has certainly surprised me." Actrise said laughingly. "I really do wonder how it is that you have all come this far? I mean look at how easily I have dispatched two of you. Now you have the honor of being the last one." Actrise slowly approached her reached out with her hand. Carrie stepped backwards but she had come to close. Within moments Actrise had somehow pulled Carrie's neck right into the grip of her hand. Actrise was now holding Carrie up above the ground. Behind them, Henry was slowly getting up. Henry felt his head pounding from the blow he had received but quickly snapped back to his senses when he saw what was about to happen to Carrie. He pulled his pistol from his holster and fired two bullets aimed at Actrise's back. They apparently had no effect so Henry pulled knife from his backpack and began to charge at Actrise. A wall of crystals that had come up out of the roof suddenly blocked Henry. Henry banged on the crystal wall but it would not break.  
  
Actrise continued to pressure Carrie. "Be sensible child. Join me. Together we can make this world or own little play ground. Anything you want can be yours. "  
  
"I will never side with your evil kind."  
  
"Very well. I have given you more than enough opportunities. Now you can die like the rest of your clan has died." Actrise raised the head of her staff and pointed it at Carrie's head. "Such a pity. Such a waste."  
  
Carrie faced her with resolve in her eyes, "You witch! What on earth could have warped your soul such a way that you deal out misery without remorse?"  
  
"Nothing 'happened' to me. I have never cared for anyone. Anyone do you hear?! I slew my own child to receive eternal life."  
  
Carrie was taken by surprise by her confession. This woman had murdered her child just to receive immortality. Carrie's facial expression was changed suddenly. Actrise saw this and laughed. "Look at your face. So surprised that a mother could do such a thing to her child. My child reacted exactly as you did."  
  
Carrie's mind reeled back to the image of her mother throwing herself to protect her. She could feel her dying in her arms. She was not even her real mother and she died for her. An action done out of love. It was something so different than what Actrise had just made her contemplate. Although Carrie had not been there, she could almost see it happening. The image of Actrise creeping up on her child while sleeping, slitting it's throat. The image horrified Carrie. The image angered Carrie. Her hands erupted into a glow brighter than ever before. In Carrie's eyes was the frozen image of her foster mother lying dead, then her real parents and their charred carcasses still tied to the stakes where they had been burned alive. Carrie grasped Actrise's hand and for the first time, Carrie heard Actrise shriek in pain. Actrise instantly released Carrie. Carrie stood up and out stretched her arms. Actrise was still clutching her burnt hand.  
  
  
Actrise looked at Carrie with hate in her eyes. Now she was angry. "I will gouge out your heart, drain you of blood, and feed it to vampires!"  
  
"You will do no more in this world. Not while I live." Carrie felt as energy passed through her body and shot out through her fists as orbs of magic. The orbs merged into one large orb that encased Actrise. Inside the orb, electricity began to strike Actrise over and over again. Her shrieks of pain were as loud as a thunderclap.  
  
"It cannot be!" Actrise screamed as she erupted into flames. The skin of her face melted away to reveal a screaming skull. Actrise outstretched our arms and then exploded into pieces.  
  
Henry slowly waved his hand forward to make sure that the barrier had truly dissipated. He walked over to Carrie's side. Carrie was still glowing with energy.  
  
"He needs to be stopped. We have the power to stop. All of this has just been a distraction, only to buy him time." Carrie said.  
  
"We will stop him, Carrie." Henry said. The glow from her fists slowly faded and together they walked towards Reinhardt. Reinhardt was already getting up when they came to his side. As always Reinhardt was never for lighthearted moments, his only statement was, "come on. It is not over yet."  
  
The three then turned around for a moment. It was turning dark. The whole time they had been up on the rooftop it had been cloudy. As they turned and faced the panorama behind them, the clouds parted and the highest and final tower of the castle towered above them. Each them had battled hard to reach that lair, each of them with their own reasons, each of them goes forth with even greater resolve than when they first entered the castle.   
  
The castle keep awaits them.  
  



	34. The Final Struggle

The clouds seemed to rush quickly underneath the abyssal stairway that lay ahead of them. The three adventures, Reinhardt, Carrie, and Henry began to climb the steps to the castle keep with caution. The sun had finally set and it was now dark. The only light that broke through the clouds was that of the moon. The moon itself seemed to resonate with an unusual color. The trio passed through two towers before they finally saw a hint of two flames up ahead. They walked in silence as they continued onward and the large structure, vague at first now became clear as night.   
  
The castle keep was round in shape. It had a large conical rooftop with a tarnished flag waving in the wind. The flag had what used to be a coat of arms that seemed to include a dragon. The entrance to the keep was two enormous doors with an odd dragon-like crest engraved on them. Large flames seem to guard either side of the entrance. Reinhardt stood before the doors inspecting it. Henry outstretched his hand towards the door and they instantly creaked open. Henry looked at Reinhardt and knew what he was thinking. The three slowly entered the gloom ahead of them. When they had all entered, the doors slammed shut.  
  
The three brushed through several curtains before finally reaching the inside of the keep. The circular walls of the keep were equally decorated with such long red curtains. A red carpet stretched from the entrance to a raised sort of podium area at the far end of the keep. Sitting upon the raised area was a coffin. Hanging above the coffin almost as though it was protecting it was the large figure of a bat made of black stone. Only candles off of the pillars that stood in four parts of the chamber lighted the chamber.  
  
Reinhardt signaled to the others that they stay where they were. Henry and Carrie stood halfway to the coffin. Henry pulled his pistol checked that it was ready. Carrie meanwhile focused her mind and slowly the bright glow of her magic encircled her fists. Reinhardt took the lead and began to approach the coffin. He unwrapped his whip from around his waist and stood poised for battle. Ever so slowly, Reinhardt walked the steps to the altar where the coffin lay. On the third step, the coffin began to shake. Reinhardt stood still and waited whatever this might mean. Suddenly, the lid of the coffin went flying over Reinhardt and landed somewhere to the left of Carrie and Henry. Reinhardt peeked into the coffin and saw that it was empty. Reinhardt pushed away some dust that had flown up out of the coffin with his whip. Unknown to Reinhardt, the dust began to float upwards and behind the three of them. Carrie was the only one to notice that a stream of "dust" was gathering together behind them. Carrie knocked on Henry's armor and so he turned and also saw this. Henry immediately called Reinhardt who turned around sharply in time to see the cloud that had been gathering behind them took on a human form. Within seconds, a large towering figure hovered above them all. The figure was the same that had imprisoned them in the execution tower. Prince Vlad Dracula III now stood before them, laughing.   
  
You three dare to oppose the powers of darkness? Is it death you seek?" Dracula paused as though waiting a reply but none of them said a word. "As you wish", he began again. "Come and face me, I will tear you limb from limb!"   
  
Carrie focused her mind and released a pair of her "energy bullets" at Dracula. Dracula instantly disappeared into his mist form. The three tried to follow where the trail of mist would go but it moved at great speed and reformed behind Henry. Henry noticed this only because of the huge shadow that was suddenly cast over him. He turned and jammed the tip of his pistol into Dracula's gut and fired several shots. Through the visor of his helmet he saw that the bullets did have an effect on him. Dracula struck Henry and sent him flying to the opposite end. Henry landed by Reinhardt's feet. Dracula seemed to growl as he raised and outstretched his hand. Reinhardt ran to stand beside Carrie. He mind focused and he prepared himself mentally. He would make his every movement a product of years of rigorous training. Three balls of bright blue flame shot out from Dracula's hand and flew toward Carrie and Reinhardt. Carrie erected a shield to protect her. Reinhardt stood completely still. As the balls of fire approached him, Reinhardt spun around and flung his whip so that the whip would strike two of the balls of flame. The third dissipated against Carrie's shield. Dracula once more turned to mist and reformed at a strategic spot in the chamber. Henry quickly joined them putting shots into Dracula whenever he could. The three attacked using the strategy that Dracula could attack two of them but never all three. Therefore, one of them would always try to distance themselves from the action so that the other two could attack freely. This strategy worked for Dracula was obviously becoming angry. Instead of just shooting balls of flame Dracula now stood in the center of the chamber and released a stream of fire. All three of them ran towards the altar. Reinhardt indicated that they should jump behind the coffin. The fire chased them all the way to the coffin. Carrie stood up from behind the coffin and fired a barrage of her magical orbs. The flame stopped and Dracula seemed to stumble backwards. Reinhardt took the lead once more and gestured that they follow him. Reinhardt began to whip Dracula across the chest. Henry began to fire his pistol again and again until he had to reload. Reinhardt lashed out his whip at Dracula's face. Dracula stumbled back until he turned to mist once more. He did not travel far or that fast, he merely reappeared behind them. Reinhardt instantly reprised his attacks until finally he noticed that Dracula seemed to be crumbling. Chunks of his body flew off of him. Dracula struggled to stay on his two feet. The sound of crumbling rock could be heard as he seemed to be falling apart. The trio stood together side by side and watched him. He looked up at them. First he seemed to be growling, then a short laugh could be heard.   
  
"So you think you have won? To save the world is not so simple..." Dracula paused and his expression changed to one of sheer pain. "Miserable creatures. Daring to oppose my evil might well cost you your lives. Darkness will rule and I will have my vengeance on humanity! One day you will all suffer as I have suffered." With that, Dracula lurched backwards stretched his arms wide open and the chamber filled with a bright light. Reinhardt, Carrie, and Henry all shielded their eyes and an explosion was heard. When the light was gone the tree of them saw only a large cape floating above them. The cape slowly fell to the ground. When it did, the cape came on fire. The three looked at the cape and to each other. "Is it really over?" they all asked themselves.  
  
"Perhaps that is all there was to it?" Henry said as he reloaded his pistol.  
"No, it was too easy." Reinhardt stared at the cape that was now ablaze.  
  
"I do not think there was anything easy about…" Henry's comment was cut off by a sudden trembling. Reinhardt pointed towards the cape whose flame had now spread to the curtains around the chamber walls. The trembling started again and the three instantly knew that it was time to exit the chamber. The three jumped through the curtained exit and left behind a burning castle keep. Once again on the steps to the keep, the three then began to run down the steps. Reinhardt was in the lead followed by Carrie. Henry's heavy armor caused him to stray behind. Henry could feel that as he ran, the steps behind him were crumbling. As Reinhardt ran the sound of the crumbling steps was suddenly accompanied by the sound of a horse galloping. Reinhardt turned his head back and to his surprise saw that a small figure was riding on horseback over thin air. The figure on horseback came up behind Carrie. Reinhardt saw that the rider grabbed Carrie and threw her onto the horse. Reinhardt stopped running for a moment as the horse galloped by him. The rider was Malus. Henry immediately pushed Reinhardt forward to keep running. Now the both of them were following the horse. Reinhardt and Henry saw that the horse flew upwards and onto the roof of the clock tower. When Reinhardt and Henry reached the bottom of the steps they noticed that there was a lift. Both of them leapt onto the lift just as the final steps crumbled and descended into the abyss below. The lift quickly rose to the rooftop where Carrie had fought Actrise. The two stepped off the lift and slowly approached Carrie who was now standing before Malus. Malus stood pawing his horse that upon closer inspection was more like a unicorn than a horse. Reinhardt looked to Carrie whose face gave no hint that she knew more than he did.   
  
"What evil is this? It surpasses even the foul aura of Dracula himself. Malus, what are you?" Reinhardt said.  
  
"I am pleased that you all could be here. This is a sad moment for me. With that body I did many things. I celebrated victories, mourned defeats, made love, and lived my life. With it's last breath, so goes the last vestiges of my existence until now." Malus looked up. "Could Lisa really be up there?" Malus then clutched his head as though in pain. "Li…" Malus then seemed to regain his composure. But when he spoke again, it was not with his own voice but a much darker one.  
  
"You have destroyed my first body. It served its purpose long enough. It was weak and barely had any power left in it. Enough! Now you face the dark lord himself."   
  
"What! You... The dark lord? My God." Reinhardt was shocked by the realization, Dracula had been under their noses the whole time. He was hidden inside a little boy like a little Trojan horse. Reinhardt saw that Carrie was also in shock. She reached out to the boy.  
  
"Malus…" Carrie said softly.  
  
An aura of energy surrounded Malus and bright light blinded them all for a brief second. In that brief second Carrie could hear very slightly a voice calling to her. "Malus is gone." When the light receded the small boyish figure of Malus had gone. Standing in the same spot was now a young man not more than twenty years old. He wore a black robe with no real sleeves. The upper torso was open and they could all see a physically fit individual. The skin was pale and yet purplish. His eyes were blue and his hair covered his ears and extended to his neck.   
  
"Imbeciles, you thought you could defeat me? I have waited all this time only to regain my full power. You have killed my servants Actrise and Gilles De Rais, the guardians of my sleeping spirit. Now, after eight years, I return in the body of this child. I never dreamed it would last so long. Now once again I can reap my vengeance on humanity, I will wrap the world in darkness and crush all to my will! On your knees before the might of Vlad Tepes Dracula! Oppose me and die!"   
  
Carrie's anger immediately manifested itself and she fired an onslaught of magic orbs on the new younger Dracula. This Dracula was faster and stronger. Carrie's orbs had less of an effect on him. He appeared and disappeared with the flash of light instead of mist. So far none them was able to get close enough to hit him. Soon, the three were getting tired of running from one end of the rooftop to the other. Dracula sensed this and then changed his attack. Dracula released some kind of energy wave that sent the three diving to the ground for cover. With the three so close together, Dracula erected a wall made of that same energy all around them. The three quickly stood up only to feel the ground beneath them tremble. The roof they stood on collapsed beneath their feet and they were suddenly falling through the ground and into the interior of the clock tower beneath them. Henry landed on a nearby gear and Carrie landed on a platform further down. Reinhardt was falling for several moments when he managed to grab onto a spike sprouting from a horizontal cylinder. The spike dug into Reinhardt's hand as he climbed onto the turning cylinder. An instant later Reinhardt jumped onto a nearby platform in order to dodge a fireball flung by Dracula. Henry fired his weapon but the bullets were stopped by more of Dracula's fireballs. Dracula was slowly floating down from the hole in the ceiling as he continued his barrage of fireballs. The three of them found themselves jumping through the different moving parts of the clock. Like rats running from a cat, everything around them was being demolished. Machinery grinded to a halt as more and more parts fell to the ground. Soon the inside of the clock tower was a mound of metal parts scattered all over the ground. Gear and cylinders lying on top of one another formed a maze or forest of machine parts. Carrie, Henry, and Reinhardt were nowhere in sight of one another. Each of them was using the machine parts to evade Dracula who hovered above all the chaos watching every knick and cranny like a hawk. Any sight of movement resulted in a hail of fireballs or an enormous wave of energy. Carrie dashed out from inside of a cylinder releasing some of her orbs. Dracula countered her attack by releasing one of his waves. The wave knocked down more clock parts and trapped Carrie beneath them. Henry emerged from behind a gear and fired his pistol. Fireballs sent him running for cover.   
  
"Is that all you three can manage. How disappointing. Perhaps courage is a quality that has faded from the blood of the Belmont's."  
  
It angered Reinhardt to hear such things. Unfortunately he knew that he had to be patient. He could not let anger get the best of him. Reinhardt closed his eyes to concentrate and think. Reinhardt was leaning against part of a crumbling wall. When Reinhardt opened his eyes Dracula was already grasping his throat. Dracula clenched his hand around Reinhardt's neck like a vise. He pulled Reinhardt and slammed him into a wall.   
  
"Why do you throw away your life so easily? Why dedicate yourself and your descendants to such a fruitless quest. Your family may have stopped me in the past, but one day you will all fall. Humanity will be destroyed and the earth will be ripe with creatures of the night."  
  
"Someone must stand up against you."  
  
"…even though you will die?"  
  
"I give my life to save others and serve the ideals I believe in.   
  
"What ideals?"  
  
"Love, love for your fellow man. That is what God stands for, love."  
  
"Don't speak to me of God's love. If we are all created in God's image then God knows no love. Like all of humanity God knows only hate, greed, and envy." Dracula struck Reinhardt across the face. "Where is he? Where is he now? Where is this loving God?" Dracula struck him again only harder. "Such a loving God that would have you wasting away your life preparing to try and destroy me. You live your life under a rock and then presume to tell me I am inhuman. Show me faithful one. Show me where your God is." Dracula began to squeeze harder on Reinhardt's throat. He opened his shirt and began to try and clutch his neck.  
  
Reinhardt's eyes widened as he tried to speak, "Right…" Reinhardt pulled his hand from around his neck. "…here!" Dracula suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. Dracula fell backwards away from Reinhardt. He clutched his chest where his heart was. Dracula pulled a small and sharp object from his breast. He stared at the object in his hand. It was the cross from a necklace. Dracula let it fall to the ground before him and he fell to his knees. He reached up to the sky with his arms and lightening came falling through the hole in the ceiling.  
  
"Henry!" Reinhardt called out. Henry responded and signaled him to where he was. Henry was busy removing a large gear so that Carrie could escape. Reinhardt joined him and Carrie was free within moments. The three checked each other for wounds before finally looking to Dracula. Smoke floated off of his body and then a bright flash of light engulfed the clock tower. The light receded and the young form of Dracula was replaced by the small innocent figure of Malus.  
  
"What has happened to me?" Malus looked up and saw Carrie. He reached out his hand and gestured for her to come closer. Carrie cautiously approached to take his hand but before either Reinhardt or Henry could stop her, a jar was cracked over the boy's head. His blood as well as the holy water inside of the jar trickled down his forehead. Malus stood up and howled like an animal in pain. The voice of an older man speaking drew the attention of the three to directly behind them.   
  
"You may be able to deceive these younglings, but not Charles Vincent."  
  
The three were stunned and speechless. All of them looked to Vincent with a bewildered look in their eyes. He sensed their confusion and continued his tirade. "Do not let his childlike appearance fool you. Do you still not understand? This child is really Dracula!"  
  
Carrie interrupted, "but what of Malus?"  
  
"He may have existed once this boy you speak of. But his existence was only to shelter and protect the soul of this devil."   
  
"Miserable human scum, how long do you think you can oppose me? Holy water will do you little good now. Prepare yourselves, all of you; you will now face the true shape Dracula!"  
  
Reinhardt, Henry, Carrie, and Vincent all felt suddenly disoriented. Everything became a sudden blur. When their vision restored, they were no longer standing in the ruined remains of the clock tower, they now stood in the middle of a vast desert. All of them looked around in awe. Never had any of them seen such a desert. The sand was almost red and the sky above them was a color like fire. Clouds flew quickly over their heads. The four heard a reverberating crack of thunder. All their instincts were to look upwards. Once again Reinhardt's only reaction was, "my God."  
  
An enormous silhouette was slowly coming down from the sky. The figure was like a creature of myth. When its many legs touched ground the earth beneath them shook like never before. The creature that was before them was as tall as a castle. The upper torso was like that of a dragon, the bottom was a tail like the body of a centipede. It had two large arms with hands like claws. Its skin was scaly and colored like the sand itself. It opened its mouth to reveal a plethora of fangs.   
  
"Run!" exclaimed Vincent who immediately began to make a run for it.  
  
Carrie's instinct was to attack. She unleashed some of her orbs but stopped as she saw the first glint if flame sprouting from it's mouth. The four began to run to escape the conflagration this monster Dracula was firing. All of them felt the heat behind them as they ran. From the flames themselves, smaller monsters emerged and began to chase them down. The flaming creatures forced them closer to the monster Dracula. Dracula swept down and grabbed Vincent into the palm of his hand.   
  
"Shoot everything you have!" Reinhardt yelled to Henry and Carrie. Both of them immediately began to fire their respective weapons.   
  
Vincent was appalled to being in such close proximity to Dracula's mouth. He pulled one of his crosses and pointed it to the face of the monster. Dracula felt the bursts of magical energy and the bullets from Henry's gun. Although they did little damage to him, they were nuisances nonetheless. Dracula summoned with his free arm, a tidal wave of sand that sent the remaining three on the ground flying backwards. After they were a good distance away, Dracula spewed a stream of flames and melted Vincent's skin off of his bones. Lastly Dracula threw his charcoal remains to the ground.   
  
Reinhardt stood and watched as his two compatriots fought valiantly, but apparently in vain. His mind reeled back trying to think what his brother would do? What would his father do? Dracula was right, holy water would do little or nothing. His chain whip would do even less than holy water against such a monstrosity. What did he have left. Then the answer came to Reinhardt; he had faith.   
  
Carrie was screaming because of all the energy that she was releasing. After several moments she collapsed. Henry ran to her side and checked her pulse. She was alive but she was exhausted. Dracula summoned yet another tidal wave of sand. Henry held tight to Carrie and tried to shield her. Even with the weight of his armor they were thrown backwards some distance. Such was the force of the tidal wave. Once again Dracula's growling laughter could be heard. Henry yelled to Reinhardt.  
  
"Reinhardt! We are losing this battle!" When he heard no reply Henry looked to where Reinhardt was. "Reinhardt!" Henry saw that Reinhardt was kneeling on the ground pulling something from his backpack. A light shone out of it and Reinhardt pulled out a fiery object. It was in that moment that Henry remembered something that he and Reinhardt had spoken of before in what seemed an eternity ago.   
  
  
"It is difficult to explain. My father told me that the fight between good and evil is always the same. But every so often the battle becomes more difficult. Also sometimes the stakes can be raised. The forces of evil might suddenly have an advantage over us. In that case, this whip apparently transforms into a far more powerful weapon. Supposedly it turns into fire."  
  
Henry remembered laughing when Reinhardt told him about the flaming whip. Just as he could scarcely believe it then he could barely believe his eyes now. Reinhardt stood with his flaming whip in hand. The fire danced over the edges of the whip and all over it's handle. The fire did not burn Reinhardt who held it tightly in the grip of his hand. Reinhardt stared at Dracula who now stood motionless after having seen Reinhardt reveal the whip. Reinhardt pulled one more object from his backpack. It was a throwing cross that he had used several times before. Reinhardt held both in his hands as he said a silent prayer. As silent as it was, Dracula seemed angered by this display of faith. He roared and his monstrous sound echoed all over the desert. He spewed fire once more and encircled them all together in a ring of fire. Dracula began to walk closer to Reinhardt. The earth trembled with every step he took. Reinhardt finished his prayer and wrapped the flaming whip around the cross. He held the cross by one of its ends. Reinhardt stared up at the sky for a brief second, he took a deep breath and with all his strength threw the now flaming cross. The cross flew threw the air with great speed. Dracula raised his arm to block the cross but the cross cut through his arm. He snarled in pain and the cross continued on its path. The cross finally reached it target. Once again Dracula felt that sharp pain in his chest and he screamed. The scream that echoed in the ears of Reinhardt, Carrie, and Henry was not human. Reinhardt ran to join Carrie and Henry's side and all of the now stood silently watching what they hoped was Dracula's final demise.   
  
Dracula's monstrous form began to explode from the inside out. It's scream continued even as a huge portal opened up beneath him and slowly began to swallow him up. It seemed as though whatever hell holds demons such as he was now taking him back. The three watched this awesome scene while leaning on each other. The three of them were physically worn out. As the last of Dracula sunk into the portal they once again experienced the blurry vision that accompanied their journey to this other dimension.   
  
When Reinhardt opened his eyes once more they were now standing on a cliff over looking the foggy lake where the castle lay. Reinhardt dropped to his knees and looked to his sides. On his either side lay Carrie and Henry apparently unconscious. He looked at the castle and said aloud, "Will this struggle against Dracula never end?" It was then that the castle slowly and amazingly began to crumble and fall in on itself. Minutes passed and Reinhardt watched silently as dusk slowly faded and was greeted by the dawn. When the sun finally shone upon the lake only the highest turret was left poking out above the surface of the lake. The island itself sunk below the water. Reinhardt stood himself and looked down at his two friends. Both were breathing normally. He chose to leave them where they were. They both needed rest. Reinhardt looked over to where a shiny object lay beside a rock. Reinhardt walked over and saw that beside the rock lay his throwing cross, the leather whip still wrapped around it. The whip was now as it was before, only a leather whip. Looking at the cross Reinhardt's thoughts drifted. Reinhardt came with hopes to find some clue to his brother, Werner, now he leaves this place with none. Henry he thinks received some measure of justice by facing the vampire that took his parents from him. Carrie achieved the same facing Actrise. But what of the lives that were lost? Charlie Vincent proved that he was not just some old fool. Did Coller accomplish what he wanted? Could he be alive? Then Reinhardt thought about Rosa. She was another innocent. Her life was unjustly lost. Reinhardt's heart felt a twinge of pain at the memory of her death. Reinhardt leaned down to pickup his cross and whip when a rose pedal fell to the ground beside him. Reinhardt looked up and saw that several more were falling to the ground. Reinhardt stepped back as a whole rose fell as well. A bright light flashed before his eyes and to Reinhardt's delight, Rosa stood before him. Reinhardt's heart soared like he had never felt before. On instinct Reinhardt took Rosa into his arms. Rosa reached up and touched Reinhardt's face and they felt each other's warmth.   
  
"Reinhardt..."  
  
"You would have given your life for me?"  
  
"Yes. And again if I have to." Rosa's eyes filled with tears as she felt the warmth of his face. Reinhardt pulled her closer and kissed her on the lips. They held each other tightly and did not let go. It was only until the sound of a clearing throat was heard accompanied by the sound of clapping. Rosa and Reinhardt parted and turned to see both Carrie and Henry clapping. Rosa hid her face in Reinhardt's chest. Reinhardt himself was actually blushing. Henry stood up and removed his now dented helmet.   
  
"I knew there was a heart of a normal human being in there. " Henry said laughing.   
  
Carrie walked to Rosa and said, "Welcome back to the land of the living." Rosa smiled and began to laugh as did Reinhardt.   
  
"So. Do you think it is over?" Henry asked.   
  
"When desire rules people's hearts, evil arises and Dracula can return. The fight between Dracula and humanity is endless." Reinhardt replied. Reinhardt saw that his pessimistic reply did not make Henry feel better. "That was something my father told me once." Reinhardt paused. "But for now, yes it is over."   
  
He placed a hand on Henry's shoulder but looked at everyone as he spoke. "So long as we have faith in each other and we have love. That will give us hope, and the strength to fight against despair. So long as there is hope, evil will never triumph."  
  
"So what is the next order of business?" Henry asked.  
  
A now smiling Reinhardt looked to Rosa. "I believe that your family is awaiting some good news."  
  
Together the four began a now happier journey, the journey home.  
  
  
  



	35. 1854

Carrie's eyes opened to the bright sun shining directly upon her. The gentle voice of the elder peasant man awoke her. "We have arrived young lady." Carrie got down from the carriage. The elder man handed her a small box.  
  
"It's been two years since you visited your mother's grave?"  
  
"Yes. I have been away from these parts for all this time."  
  
The elder man saw that she seemed troubled. "Are you sure you want to get down here? I'll take you up the hill. These parts are filled with gypsies nowadays. They are mostly harmless but you never know."  
  
"Thank you, I can handle myself. This is fine, anyway. I want to walk the rest of the way."   
  
"Very well then young lady. Take care of yourself." The elder man pulled his reins and the carriage began to move again. Carrie turned and began to walk up the hill before her. At the top of the hill lay a medium sized grave. The tombstone was laid out on the ground and a cross stood over it. Carrie walked up to it and laid her box on the ground beside it. She opened the box and pulled out from it a bouquet of flowers. She looked up at the sky for a moment and then placed the flowers on the tombstone. The stone was now covered in grass so Carrie removed some of it so the inscription could be seen. Carrie sat by the grave for some time. It was midday when she heard the galloping of horses coming nearby. After several minutes she could hear the sound of boots coming up behind her. Henry sat down beside as quietly as possible. She looked at him.   
  
"We knew that you would come here."  
  
"I had to."  
  
"Reinhardt and Rosa were worried when you disappeared."  
  
"I needed time to think."  
  
"I don't want to influence you, but nothing will change. They have been like parents to you these past two years. The adoption would only make it official."  
  
"You know she was not even my real mother. She found me and raised me. There was no common blood between us. When the time came she was willing to die to protect me." Tears began to run down her cheeks. "I suppose that is what counts." She sniffed and buried her head in her hands. Carrie cried silently. Henry put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You know you and I share a unique bond." Henry said softly. Carrie looked up at him. "We are both orphans. We both know what it is to have our parents taken from us. Perhaps you are afraid of betraying those who have loved you before. Perhaps you are even afraid that if they do become your parents then you might lose them, but don't. Loss is a part of life. How we deal with it decides if we are to be successful in our goals. It is also what makes us human. I wish I had the chance you do right now. It is obvious that Rosa and Reinhardt care for you. Let them continue."  
  
Carrie and Henry walked down the hill together. At the base of the hill Reinhardt and Rosa stood waiting. Carrie turned to Henry. "You know you would make an excellent brother," she said smiling. Carrie then joined Reinhardt and Rosa and together they had a group hug. Reinhardt looked at Henry gestured for him to join. Henry smiled and joined in.   
  
Together these four men and women, who are not joined by blood, were now one family brought together by adversity.  
  



End file.
